The Lonely
by Prophe-Cass
Summary: Shiro, only nineteen, feels a pulling towards adopting a child. When he meets Keith, he realizes this is the boy destined for him to adopt. AU For Christians. Marked Complete for(ever) now
1. Introduction

Takashi Shirogane wasn't someone who believed in several, perhaps HUNDREDS of gods like his Japanese forefathers. He believed in one lone God, who was made up of three different spirits. The Holy Spirit, the Father, and the Son.

When he was younger, he had believed in the Japanese gods, praying to them and offering sacrifices to them.

When his father left him, all that changed. The abandonment sent his mother into a hysterical state, and often times she would become drunk. When this eventually left her dead, his Grandfather same all the way from the states to care for the little seven-year old boy. He took the young boy into the states, raising him into a bright young man with a knowledge of all religions. He gave Shiro the opportunity to choose any religion he wanted, saying that he wouldn't judge whatever his choice was. So Shiro chose Christianity, the religion of his Grandfather.

Once his Grandfather died, Shiro was left alone once more at age seventeen, but this time he had the Garrison. Shiro still prayed to the Lord often, but was more busy once he became a pilot.

When he was nearly nineteen, God turned his mind towards foster care. God sent an image of a young boy with a coal-black mullet. Shiro recognized him as Keith, the child who had refused to show up at the address assigned him. The Lord then turned his mind toward the Rachel Foster Care Foundation.

That was how he officially met Keith.


	2. Troubled

"I never thought that the famous pilot, Takashi Shirogane, would try to adopt someone." Mason told Shiro, chewing on a pen.

"And I never thought that you, a gifted scientist, would end up running a foster program, Mr. Pines." Shiro shot back, a slight smile penetrating his lips.

"Fair point." Mason nodded, a smile cracking his lips. "So, how many kids are you planning on fostering or adopting or whatever you pilots do?"

"Um, just one." Shiro blinked. "I don't even know if he's in this program."

"I don't understand."

"I…it's hard to explain."

Mason chuckled, shaking his head. "I've studied so many things that are hard to explain. So try me."

"Um. So, I believe in a God, and I think he sent me a vision on which kid to adopt. I think he's here, but I don't actual know."

"Ah." Mason nodded. "Good for you, Shiro. Anyhow, here are the files." Mason pushed over a large book full of files. "See if you can find the kid."

Shiro flipped it open, starting at page one.

ABIGAIL L. FOOTSWORTH read the first file, with a picture beneath of a young girl with brown hair and blue eyes, freckles dotting her face.

Shiro flipped to the next page, where a boy with blonde hair smiled up at him.

Shiro skimmed through the book, pausing once he got to the Ks.

A boy with shockingly purple eyes, black hair in the style of a mullet, and in a red sweatshirt stared back at him, his mouth tugged into an unhappy frown. Shiro's lips twitched into a smile. Keith looked the same as he remembered, and the exact same as what God had set in his mind. This was the child God had set into Shiro's mind, and he was determined to Foster this child.

KEITH AKIRA KOGANE

Born October 23rd 2334 in Tuscon, Arizona

Age; 11

Gender; Male

Medical Disorder; mutated DNA, rare case of Jaundice

Definition; He's a real-life demon. BEWARE.

Occupation; Foster care

Shiro placed the file on the table, blinking at Mason. "This is the kid I'd like to adopt."

Mason looking the file through, his eyes widening. "Listen, Shiro. It describes him as a demon. I've had experience with this sort of thing, so just be careful."

"Of course. But it's not like he's actually a demon, though." Shiro chuckled. "I'm sure it's just his attitude."

"Probably. People exaggerate a lot." Mason admitted. "But my wife, with the help of the past foster people, writes these files. And she's a tough person. It takes a lot for her to call someone a demon. So perhaps this kid really is one. Be careful."

Shiro shook his head in confusion. "It says that he has a genetic mutation, so that might be part of it."

"Let me call up the family who has him in foster care." Mason picked up the phone, typing in the phone number before holding it to his ear.

After a few moments of him talking back and forth to whoever was on the opposite line, he hung up, smiling. "They say they're okay with you going right away to their house. They're across town, so my wife'll drive you." Mason informed Shiro. "She'll be waiting at the front desk."

Shiro shook Mason's hand as he stood, beaming. "Thank you, sir, but I think I'm fine."

"Anytime. But remember…trust no one." Mason warned, his frown deepening.

"Dark, don't you think?"

"In this crazy world, you gotta be ready."

"Okay." Shiro nodded, pivoting and leaving the room.

* * *

"So, when will I be meeting Keith?" Asked Shiro, glancing around the large living room.

"Soon." Connie set down the cup in her hand, frowning. "Steven is with him now. That kid needs a good home. I hope you can offer it to him."

"So…what's he like?"

"A nightmare." Connie groaned, slapping her palm to her forehead. "Keith spends all day in his room, playing with knives."

"Metaphorically?"

"No." Connie sunk lowered into her chair, groaning. "He plays with a lot of them, but is favorite is a family heirloom, so we can't just confiscate it. Steven, when he was younger, hand a sword that was an heirloom, so we get that. But…" Connie sighed, smiling at Shiro pathetically. "Keith might be lying. He's a known liar. If only he was as innocent as Steven was at his age…"

"Well, I plan to adopt him. I'm not sure about all the legal terms, but I'm going to try."

"Ha! Even if you're not allowed to, don't stop trying! Break the law if you need to!" Connie giggled, shaking her head. "Well, be nice to him. He needs somebody nice to care for him." Connie glanced at the doorway, grinning. "Ah. There's Steven now. It Keith ready to meet Mr. Shirogane?"

"You bet!" Steven gave her two thumbs up, laughing slightly. "Well, not really. He doesn't want to see anyone, but I managed to convince him. "Com'n, Mr. Shirogane."

"You can call me Shiro." Shiro told him, rising.

"Then call me Steven!" The older man laughed, gesturing down the hall behind him. "Keith's down there, last door on the hallway. Be nice to him, okay? He needs somebody nice to care for him."

Shiro glanced at the couple, recognizing the same phrase from Connie a few moments before.

He shook off the feeling, and entered the room, glancing around. The red curtains were closed, and the lights were turned off.

The room was unusually tidy, an archery target with a knife drilled into it beside the door. Everything else seemed simple and unused.

Shiro glanced at the bed, and met the young child's eyes for the first time in a few weeks.


	3. Swords

"How did you find me?!" Keith spat when he saw Shiro. "When I didn't come to the address, I thought you would have given up on me." Keith simply stated, looking him up and down. "I stold you car for crying out loud! And then when Mr. Universe said that YOU had come, I...I..."

"I'm glad to see you, Keith." Shiro quirked an eyebrow curiously at him. "It's been a while." Shiro stuck out his hand before realizing that his words might offend Keiht, for the kid obviously did NOT want to see him.

Keith, however, hesitated but reluctantly shook his hand. "Toss me that knife, will ya?" Keith pointed at the knife in the target, blinking at Shiro.

Shiro picked up the blade, but, instead of tossing the knife like the kid requested, he walked to the bed and handed it to Keith.

Keith blinked at him, rolling onto his stomach as he tossed the knife. It struck the exact center of the target with the sound of creaking wood.

"It's a nice room, Keith." Shiro told him, glancing around. "Tell me about yourself."

"First off, I'm not a demon." Keith grunted.

Shiro laughed slightly. "That much I figured out on my own."

"There's nothing else to really say except I like knives." Keith mumbled, probably embarrassed by his lack of interests.

"Well," Shiro felt his confidence grow with every word, "I don't see anything particularly wrong with that. You just need to be careful."

"Yeah, whatever."

"You're also a gifted pilot." Shiro pointed out.

Keith just grunted.

"So…the Universes said I can take you somewhere just as long as I return you by five-thirty. Do you like going out to eat, or home cooked meals?"

Keith looked very confused, as if it was a trick. "Um…I think going out is really fun…"

"Which restaurant do you prefer?"

"Why are you asking me all this?"

"I'll be buying you some food while we're out. Gotta make sure we have what you like."

"Oh. I like McDonalds."

"Drive through or going inside?"

"Drive through. I always feel pressure to go on the Play Ground when I go in, and there's nothing fun about those things."

"Ah." Shiro felt a flicker of confusion. When he originally came to America he had been immediately impressed by the large structures built inside the restaurants, and used to love playing in them. He reminded himself, rather harshly, that Keith was born an American so was probably a normal USA child. "I'm also thinking about bringing you somewhere fun. Any suggestions."

Keith looked thoughtful, staring up at Shiro. "There is ONE place, but it doesn't really classify as 'fun'. More of interesting."

"Really? What is it?"

Keith frowned at him, squinting. "It's the house I used to live in with my dad. And my mother, when she was with us."

"'With us'?" Shiro asked. That made it sound like she had left them, like a divorce or something.

"Yeah." Keith didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it, so Shiro didn't push it.

"Wait." The older man hesitated. "Wouldn't your old house be owned by someone else?"

"No. It was in Dad's will that I keep all his possessions."

"Okay. Do you know where your old house is?"

"Yep." Keith didn't say anything more about the subject, sliding his knife into a hilt that hung on the wall. "Anyway, when are we going?"

"Now is as good as time as ever." Shiro shrugged. "I mean, if you want to."

"Okay." Keith pulled on a red and white jacket and smirked. "Well? What are we waiting for?"

Shiro started, unsure if Keith ACTUALLY wanted to go at that moment. "You sure?"

"Duh!" Keith snorted, giving him a look like he was stupid. "Let's GO."

Shiro nodded, and the two left the room, Keith frowning to himself as he crossed his arms.

Connie raised her head as they entered, her short, black hair bobbing. Steven glanced up and nodded at them, his face breaking into a smile.

"We're heading out, Mr. and Mrs. Universe!" Shiro told them, letting his hand fall on Keith's shoulder.

"Have fun you two!" Steven beamed, his dark eyes lighting up with warmth.

"Be back by five-thirty for dinner!" Connie ordered, cocking one eyebrow. "And, Keith, behave yourself."

"I'm not a demon." Keith snorted, glowering. "Of COURSE I'll behave myself."

"I just…I worry, m'okay?"

"Whatever."

Shiro didn't say anything about Keith's mood, though he did feel that this boy that God wanted him to adopt was a bit too sassy.

They climbed into Shiro's car, Keith clambering into the back seat as he glanced around.

"So, Keith." Shiro began as he started the engine. "What do you do in your off time?"

"Homework." Keith grunted, his face scrunching up. "Mrs. Universe says I have to. I also practice with my knives, and Mr. Universe has me take sparing lessons with one of his weird friends."

"Homework is important, Keith."

"Except I don't HAVE to do homework. I pay attention, even though I don't act the part. In fact, even if I never studied again, I'd still ace pretty much every test thrown my way." Keith grunted, glancing out the window as they sped past a playground.

"Well, the sword lessons sound interesting."

"I'm not supposed to talk about them."

"Then I won't press." Shiro nodded, and the two fell into a deep silence.

They were almost to McDonalds when Shiro decided to try to bring up a topic to talk about. "McDonalds, right?"

"Yeah."

Geez, why didn't anyone tell him that this kid was impossible to talk to?!

"Okay. What do you want?"

"Um…Chicken McNuggets and chocolate milk."

"Do you want French fries with that?"

"Naw. My mutation makes it impossible for me to digest French fries or any other potato without be getting deadly sick."

"That's interesting. How do you know?"

"Happened once when I was living with Dad. And again with a foster family. Besides, the doctors drew a lot of blood and studied it a lot."

"How many foster families?"

"Thirty-three. And I've had seventy-nine adoption interviews."

"That's…" Shiro added it up in his mind quickly. "One-hundred and six altogether."

"Yeah. I know." Keith blinked. "So I don't care if you don't like spending time with me. You can leave at any time. I won't judge."

"Keith, don't talk like that! You seem like a good kid."

"To monsters, maybe." Keith huffed under his breath, but Shiro heard.

"Maybe God was holding off until the right person came around."

"God?" Keith perked up, his eyes alighting with a fire. "Wait…which God?"

"The Christian one."

"Oh! Dad had a Bible, and it's really cool. There's so many fights with swords…"

"You like swords, huh?"

"Yeah! There's this one story in Judges where there was this left-handed guy who stabbed a king in the gut! He was so fat, even the hilt disappeared into his folds of fat!"

"Interesting!" Shiro meant it, he really did. This kid was a good kid. He'd be a fine warrior for God's army when the time came.


	4. Mutation

**Author's Note; Was anyone else disappointed that Shiro's gay?! I am, so that's why I decided this is an AU. Shiro isn't gay, he's just good friends with Adam. Maybe best friends, but it's strictly platonic.**

* * *

Shiro handed Keith the meal, taking his own hamburger into hand.

"Okay, Keith. How do we get to your old house?"

"Get into Main Street, and, when it ends, we get out of the car and go on towards Maple Drive. I have a speeder that we drive straight out to the house. And I'll drive."

"Okay. Let's get over to Main Street." Shiro drove the car out of the drive through and watched as Keith drank two mouthfuls of his chocolate milk and one McNugget, then closed up the containers and settled them into the inside pockets of his jacket.

Shiro drive in silence, and Keith fiddled with the drawstrings on his jacket.

Shiro pulled up to Main Street and helped Keith get out of the car, showing him how to scoot forward the chairs so he could get out of the back.

"Maple Drive, you said?"

"Yeah." Keith nodded. "First turn on the left. I found a place where there's free parking, and I put my bike there."

"Makes sense." Shiro discovered within a few minutes that he didn't know where he was going and so he had Keith lead. Funny, really, how a kid half his height understood the streets better then Shiro ever could.

"Here it is." Keith patted the hover bikes front seat, smiling. "Beautiful, right?"

"Is this a fire bike?" Shiro asked, the large numbers on the side making its purpose apparent.

"Yeah." Keith nodded. "Dad bought it for half a million dollars from the fire station to insure he always had a job there."

"How'd he die?" Shiro asked, hoping that he wasn't being insensitive.

"He died a hero, saving someone's dumb kid." Keith shook his head, his face grim as he climbed onto the bike. "Let's go."

"Okay." Shiro followed him up it, discovering that there was a second seat solely for the purpose of another passenger. He thought about Keith's explanation and felt a wave of pity for him. From the sound of it, he WITNESSED HIS OWN FATHER'S DEATH.

Shiro was genuinely impressed that Keith appeared to be un-phased, simply shrugging off the memory, hardly any change in his blank expression.

Keith whipped out a throwing knife, somehow sliding away the blade. It revealed to be a key, which he promptly slid into the proper slot on the bike.

Before Shiro could blink, Keith had started up the engines. The pre-teen glanced back at him, and grunted; "Hold on. The speeder can go pretty fast."

Shiro nodded at Keith, grabbing the underside of the speeder. He had driven a speeder, owned one, in fact, but he was usually cautious in some matter. He wondered how Keith would fare.

Keith twisted his hands suddenly on the handle bars, just like a motorcycle, and it turned on fully, hovering for a moment before heading off down the road.

Keith let out a delighted cry and turned to the left, getting it into the road. He leaned forward, the fire bike speeding up in response. After only a few turns, the two were out in the desert.

Shiro barred his teeth as he stared at Keith with surprise, realizing how good of a pilot Keith was. Of course, he had witnessed Keith's skills before, during the simulator test, but that was nothing compared to now. Keith was even laughing his head off as they sped through the canyons.

It wasn't long before Keith pulled on the breaks, the bike slowing to an almost complete standstill within milliseconds.

Shiro found himself staring at a shed and a simple house as Keith eased the speeder into it's designated area beside the house.

Keith cleared his throat, and turned to face Shiro, his face once again plain. "This my Dad's house. You're welcome inside."

Shiro followed Keith inside, watching the small boy clear away a few cobwebs with a simple flick of his wrist, scowling at the spiders who dare make them.

Shiro fought back a laugh as Keith huffed at the door as it squeaked on its hinges.

Keith searched got the light switch, and, when he found it, it alit the room in a flickering light. "You can't tell anyone about this house, got it?" Keith ordered, glancing at Shiro. "It's all I've got."

"I promise, Keith. You're secret's safe with me." Shiro assured him, glancing around the room. There was a really old computer standing off to one side of the room, and a few dozen books along one wall. There was a couch, a few chairs, and a coffee table and a large bookshelf off to the side. Several machines that looked too advanced for Earth littered the ground and Shiro gave them a closer look.

"Where'd these come from, Keith?"

The boy paused from sorting through a few boxes, and he blinked at them. "I dunno. Never asked about them. Why?"

"They don't seem like Earth tech." Shiro noted.

"Yeah, people say the same thing about Dad's hover bike. It runs on a power source that has never been used before. Dad had to hide the bike from the government so that they wouldn't impound it to study it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Shiro asked, holding one of the machines and turning it carefully.

"Yep." Keith finally found a small package of lightbulb and glanced up at the overhead light. "Nobody ever found it though, and, once everything blew over, Dad took it out again." Then, breaking off from the subject, Keith glanced at a box marked with a K. "I wonder if…" Keith dug his way into it, throwing clothes from the box over his shoulder onto a heap on the floor.

Shiro picked up one of the items, a red tank top, obviously for a woman. He put it back on the floor and glanced at Keith as he pulled out a tan jacket from the box.

"Ha!" He whispered, holding it tightly to his chest. "They never found it!"

Keith slipped it onto his shoulders, frowning at it. "This looks weird, doesn't it?"

The jacket reached Keith's knees, the sleeves spreading past his hands. It did look weird. And it didn't help that the jacket was wrinkled in every which way.

"Um. A little. But one day you'll grow into it, Keith. You can roll up the cuffs, and maybe adjust the hem."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't actually plan to wear it." Keith admitted, rolling his eyes as he smiled shyly.. "It's actually a girl jacket. It was…my mom's." His voice lowered at the last word, as if uttering it would bring a curse down upon his house.

"What happened to her?" Shiro asked, helping Keith get his arms out of the 'straight jacket'.

"How should I know?!" Keith snapped, glaring at him. "It's none of your business, is it?!"

Shiro nodded in defeat as Keith packed up all the clothes, his fingers lingering the red tank top, pausing to tightly hold an armored boot, and trying on a horizon belt that was a few sizes too big for him. It probably used to belong to his mother, too, as did everything in this box.

Keith finally closed the lid to the box, drawing his sleeve across his face as he let out a pained sigh.

"It's okay, Keith. One day you'll find a nice family." Shiro assured him, resting his hand on the child's shoulder.

"I don't care about family." Keith whispered, surprisingly leaning slightly into the comforting touch. "All family has ever done is leave me. I just want a place where…" the words died away in his throat, and he buried his face into his hands.

Shiro crouched down beside him, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. All kinds of children were at the Garrison, if Keith wanted to join, this time for real, then maybe…

Suddenly Keith let out an angry scream, standing up so that he could give the box a kick. "Why did Mom just leave us? I hate her, and I hate everything she left me with! All she's caused us is trouble! She wasn't there when Dad died, and she wasn't when bullies picked on me at school, she never helped me with math, she never took me to fun places like the park, or to museums…MOM JUST DISAPPEARED! AND NOW I'M COMPLETELY ALONE!" Keith stomped his foot onto the ground, his face red and his fists balled tightly together.

"Keith…" Shiro began, rising to his feet.

"WHAT?!" Keith spat, turning to face him. "What is wrong with you?! I stole your car, I didn't come to the Garrison when you wanted me to! Everything I've done shouts that I'm an awful kid! And you still come after me! You don't even know me! Why?! Why are you like that?"

Shiro opened his mouth to speak, but Keith drew away.

"I might be part demon, truth be told." Keith murmured, shoulders defeatedly slumping as his adrenaline disappeared. "Dad once said that, in the Bible," he reached up and grabbed a book, the Bible, and plucked it open, flipping to Genesis 6. "'The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.'" It also says that 'When the sons of God went to the daughters of the humans and had children with them. They were the heroes of old, men or renown.' And then right after that it states clearly 'The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become'. Therefore the half-angels became evil, and were fallen angels. What if…what if my Mom was an angel, or at least part of one? That make me a fallen angel, a demon, a monster. That'd explain my mutation, and why she was never around or why Dad hardly ever mentioned her. And why I don't fit in."

"Or you just happened to be the kid with the short straw. I'm sure you're not a demon."

Keith pointed to his strikingly purple pupils. "How do you explain EVERYTHING that happened to me? The purple eyes are something from a Si-fi book. I grow fur instead of hair, I have claws instead of nails, and my eyes turn yellow when I get mad. How do all those fit together?! Why would my so-called 'Jaundice' only act up when I'm angry?!"

"Wait, you have FUR instead of HAIR?"

"The only stuff that's actually hair is atop my head." Keith snorted. "And my fingernails aren't fingernails. Their DNA is of that of a cat's claws. Seriously, I'm a freak, and it's all my stupid Mom's fault."

Shiro shook his head disbelievingly. "Keith, I am POSITIVE you are not a demon. Weren't you telling me just today that you were most certainly NOT a demon?!"

"Frick, Shiro." Keith spat. "I only say that stuff because I'm trying to convince myself. Truth be told…I believe I'm not even human. I'm a demon, I'm sure of it."

"Keith…"

"Don't tell the Universes. Please! They'll…they'll be really disappointed and try to make me feel better, and the only way to make them shut up is to pretend to be happy, and…and-"

"This'll be our little secret. I promise, Keith." Shiro assured him. "You don't have to worry about it. I won't tell anyone."

'Poor kid.' Shiro thought to himself as Keith ate a few hours later, stuffing his mouth with chicken nuggets. 'He thinks he's a demon. I'm positive he's not, but…oh, Lord, show me what to do!'


	5. Strength

"Is the possibility for the Garrison still an option?" Keith asked a week later as Shiro drove him home from their third get-together.

"Not sure, Keith." Shiro admitted, pulling to a stop as the light before him switched from orange to red. "That week was the week where the public school children could apply. I'll do my best, but I'm not sure how it'll work out. Now that the 'Public Week' is over, you'd have to take more tests."

"More simulator tests? I think I can handle that."

"That's only some of the many things we'd have to do. You'd have to get blood drawn to get tested for sicknesses that would effect flying, have to get your Guardians' signatures, an emergency contact, and collect five letters of recommendation. That's only a few of the things you'd have to jump through. I'd vouch for you, of course, and I'll do as much as I can to help you, Keith, but…"

"Do it." Keith ordered. "I don't care what it takes; I want to do it."

"Keith, I'll gladly give you a letter of recommendation, and I bet that I can get my roommates to, as well. You'd still need to get two other letters, though. You'll need to convince the Universes to sign a few papers, do you have an emergency contact?"

"No."

"Alright. I'LL be your emergency contact." Shiro suggested, then decided that he might as well break the good mood. "I'm afraid you'll have to leave your knives someplace safe."

"What about my shack?"

"That's good. Just make sure they're somewhere secure in case somebody had the bright idea to wander out twenty miles, and break into your shack."

"Alright." Keith nodded, but fell silent. He still didn't trust Shiro completely, and had only opened up to him once about the whole 'demon' kid. They both never brought it up, and Keith pretended it never happened.

"So." Shiro said as they pulled up to the Universe's house. "Friday sound good?"

"No. I'm busy with sword training." "Saturday?"

"Yeah. Fine." Keith shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked up the stairs to the Universe's house. He turned around, nodding sharply, and smiled weakly. "See ya around."

"See you, Keith." Shiro raised one hand in a farewell, and Keith hesitantly raised his in return.

He watched as Shiro climbed into his car, starting up the engine, and headed into the road.

Keith dropped his waving hand, entering the house silently. "I'm hoooome!" He called, pulling off his jacket as he headed for his room.

"Welcome home!" Connie called from the kitchen, leaning out of the room to wave. "The two new kids will be arriving at anytime, will you please show them around?"

"Whatever." Keith answered absent-mindedly, closing the door behind him as he tossed his satchel bag onto his bed and hung his coat up on a peg above his bed frame.

Truth was, he wanted to join the Garrison for more then one reason. Of course, the Universes annoyed him with their over cheerfulness, but, also, Connie was pregnant with a baby boy, and thus would overtax the house with children, and Keith was a kid who needed space. Keith had also decided that his chances at finding a good house that would pay for his education were out the window, so the best he could do was have a dorm at the Galaxy Garrison and work part-time at different places to earn his tuition. Keith glanced at the newly added bunk-bed in his room that would serve as a bed for the two newest foster kids, Toby Dumzolski and Adrien Agrest. Yes, this house WAS getting crowded.

Keith sighed as he heard a knock on the front door, and he rapidly shoved his favorite knife under his pillow, sticking a few dozen throwing knives into his jacket's inside pocket, and stored the rest of them in a chest, which he promptly shoved onto the far corner of his bed with his neatly folded up clothes. Grabbing the target, he shoved it under his bed, and dusted himself off.

"Keith, they're here! Come on over!" Connie called, and he exited his room, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Toby, Adrien, this is Keith. You'll be sharing his room."

"Hi." Toby waved nervously.

"Hello." Adrien nodded, shyly blinking as he glanced around the house.

"Adrein's mother died to a car crash, and his father his abusive." Connie whispered to Keith, leaning over. "And Toby's father left him, and his mother is in the hospital. So be nice to them." Then, drawing away, she smiled at the two children. "I hope you enjoy your stay here. Keith, how about you show them around, and then wash up for dinner."

"Com'n." Keith gestured to them, leading them to their room. "This is our room. Toby, Adrien, the bunk bed is yours. The twin bed his mine."

"Okay." Both responded, then glanced at the dresser.

"Which drawers do we get?" Toby asked politely.

"Divide them between yourselves. I don't care." Keith shrugged.

"What about your drawers?" Inquired Adrien.

"I store everything elsewhere. You guys basically have the whole room to yourselves, in fact, there's only one rule."

"Yeah?"

"What?"

"The sector with my bed in it is the only place you cannot go into. My property is from where the bed sits all the way to the ceiling. You're not aloud to touch it."

"Okay. Hey, just out of curiosity, what happened to your parents?" Adrien asked, blinking at him.

Keith felt his stomach clench, and his fingers balled into fists. "Okay, one more rule," he hissed, his eye flashing.

Both boys yelped, staring at him with a mixture of fear and curiousity.

"Never. Speak. About. MY. PARENTS!" Keith glared, swinging his fist into the wall.

Both boys stared at the wall as it broke, cracks running from where Keith's fist lay.

"Dude." Adrien stared.

"Bro." Toby gapped. "What was up with your eyes?!"

"How are you so strong?!"

Keith glanced at the wall. "Can you two just buzz off?" He demanded, before gently running his fingers along the cracks, biting his lip. "Whoops."

"That was unbelievably wicked." Toby stared.

"Ugh, will you just shut the frick up?!" Keith growled. "Stop asking me personal questions."

"Understood." The other two boys nodded, Keith grunted.

"Let's get this tour over with." He deadpanned, leading the way down the hall. "Bathroom." Keith nodded towards the door. "That's Rose and Candace's room, that's the master bedroom, kitchen, laundry room…"

"Okay, kids! Wash up and come to dinner!" Connie called suddenly, and Keith instantly rushed the two boys to the nearest bathroom.

"Wash your hands, quickly!" He ordered. "The girls are vile, killing machines. If they got here first, they would take forever to wash up, and if they get here before you're done, they'll plead with you forever to hurry up!"

That was enough to get the boys into action, and they hurriedly sped through the motions.

Then they headed to dinner, relieved that they had completed their task before the girls had arrived. Keith sighed as he trailed after them, closing the door behind him as he stared in shock at his hands. Did he really just make a wall…crack? With one fist? His sickness was getting stronger. In some ways, quite literally.


	6. Testing

"Ha, ha!" Keith chuckled, turning the chair around to grin confidently at the instructors. "Beat THAT!" He boasted, gesturing to the simulator around him. "Bet you can't."

"Kid has potential, I'll admit." Admiral Hofferson decided.

Keith ignored the fact that he was sitting right in front of them, able to listen at will.

"He stole your car, however." Commander Iverson pointed out. "And he doesn't seem to be able to hold still, much less wait to receive instructions."

"I know." Shiro admitted, staring down at Keith. Keith blinked back, worry squeezing his chest.

"It says that he has jaundice? And mutated DNA?" Commander Holt noted, studying the data-pad in front of him. "Won't that be a problem in flight?"

"I can take care of myself." Keith huffed. "It only affects me in-"

Half of the employees shot him an angry look, their eyebrows arched in a challenge.

Keith fell silent, though he throat burned to speak, his legs twitching as he did his best to remain still.

Shiro apologetically glanced at him, turning to the instructors. "It's very mild jaundice. It only acts up if his emotions reach an all-time high. And his mutated DNA, from what I've seen, actually helps him for the better, instead of holding him down. The only time he has a problem is with his potato allergy."

"Potato?" Admiral Holdo pursed her lips. "That's a problem. Potato is one of our most typically used products."

Keith couldn't hold back again. "What about just replacing them with peas or something?! I've read that they're the easiest vegetable to preserve with our modern technology and their small size! And, on the topic, we can store a greater quantity of peas in one place then we can with potatoes!"

"It is not YOUR place to speak! This is adult matters!" Iverson rose to his full height, peering down his nose at Keith, refusing to look him right in the eye.

"Wait." Admiral Adam rose from his seat, gazing at Keith. "The kid's got a good point. Why do we use potatoes when peas will do the job just as well, if not better? Also, Takashi is right. Keith's got potential. I believe he can be a great pilot one day, IF he can learn some self discipline."

"I always liked the genetically modified peas the Garrison is able to produce." Holt declared, smiling warmly.

"Hold up, nothing is decided yet!" Iverson snapped, standing akimbo as he glared at them.

"Don't you mean 'Holt' up?" Commander Boone, the youngest and newest graduate, asked, a smile brightening across his face.

Everyone blinked at him, half of them snarling at him with annoyance, the other half, including Holt himself, chuckling.

"What. Did. You. Say?!" Iverson growled, his face curling up in rage.

"Nothing, sir, sorry, sir." Boone murmured, ducking his head.

"Need I remind you that the reason you graduated wasn't for your humor, but because we needed more men in the medical field? Have you lost your resolve?!"

"No, sir. Sorry, sir." Boone apologized, his face trembling as he tried to contain a smile.

Iverson pulled away, still looking furious, and stared at Keith intently. "We will have to have a private counsel meeting to discuss this. Shirogane, do you have the files on Mr. Big-Talker here?" Iverson inquired, jerking his thumb towards Keith.

"Yessir." Shiro answered quickly, reaching into his saddle bag and pulling out a file, handing it to Iverson. Iverson snatched it away, and lead the other instructors out of the room.

"Hold tight, Keith." Shiro told him, patting his shoulder. "This won't take long, best case scenario."

"Yet it always does." Adam grumbled as he passed them.

"Yeah." Shiro admitted. "Yet it always does take a while. I'm afraid that, after today, Keith, everyone here will know every bit of information on your file."

"If this is what it takes to get in, I'm ready." Keith announced, grinning confidently up at Shiro.

"Attaboy." Shiro smiled, then turned to catch up with the other professors.

Keith stared after him as he left, biting the inside of his lip. "The worst they can say is no." He murmured as he watched the door behind Shiro close.

"They say plenty of bad things." A low voice said in his ear. 'No' is only the half of it."

"Gaah!" Keith yelped. Blinking in surprise. He found himself staring at the jerk, the bane of his youth, James Griffen. "Ugh. YOU."

"Me." James smirked, leaning with his arms crossed against the railing that led to the simulator. "So, wittle Keef is being gwaded to see if he can get into kindowarten?"

"This is supposed to be a momentous occasion of my life." Keith huffed. "Nobody's going to ruin this for me, not even you."

"I bet they don't know about you hijacking that school bus two months ago." James taunted.

"They know about Shiro's car, which was an even bigger public offense." Keith responded evenly. "I was at the public jail overnight for the car."

"That's going to look bad on your résumé." James taunted. "Want me to tell them about the bus, though? I mean, dude, there weren't even any keys. You hot-wired the entire rig!"

"I don't know why I talk to you." Keith huffed, turning to walk away.

"Um, cause I'm the only friend you've got?" James suggested.

"I think you forgot to take away the 'r'." Keith shot back, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, REAL clever. You know, you're just a dumb kid, Keith. The only reason you exist is because your Dad thought it would be a good idea to have kids with a monster. That's why you're so weird!"

"Leave me alone, James." Keith hissed, stalking away grumpily. However, James refused to leave him alone, trailing after him. He continued to taunt him, until Keith whizzed around, snapping.

"Just leave me alone! It's none of your business what I do! Just go away!"

"Okay, you two. What's going on here?" A senior cadet marched up to them, sending Keith a curious look.

"Nothing! I was just talking to this kid here when suddenly he turns on me and shouts!" James frowned, his face strangely convincing.

"Really?" The cadet turned to Keith. "Is that how it went?"

"I've been asking him to go away for the past half-hour!" Keith snarled. "He should learn to buzz off!"

"No, you weren't! You just suddenly exploded on me!" James lied.

The cadet blinked at James, probably picking up on the fib. "Rookie, shouldn't you be at Lunch?"

"Yessir. I just saw my friend here and decided to say hi! Usually he isn't so moody." James huffed, glaring at Keith intently.

"Head off to lunch, Rookie." The cadet sighed in annoyance, standing to the side as James slunk past, giving Keith a griping look.

"Junior Cadets, an I right?" The cadet sighed, glancing at Keith. "My name's Matt. You…?"

"Keith." Keith shook his outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you. And thanks for getting James off my shoulders."

"No problem." Matt smiled. "Are you with the F&F Program?"

"What?"

"You know, Family & Friends? It's a day where the senior cadets can bring their family members to the Garrison."

"Yeah…no. Not part of that." Keith began to walk away, but Matt put a hand on his shoulder.

"Then why're you here? Are you a cadet?"

"No. Leave me alone."

"Hey. Are you the kid that all the instructors are talking about?"

"So what?"

"Um. Maybe it'd be best if you hung around the simulator. Maybe practice a little." Matt suggested. "'Cause if you aren't picked, you might as well have a day to remember."

Keith blinked at him, unsure if this rebellious kid should be trusted.

"Com'n, let's go. Hey, Eli!" Matt called over his shoulder, and a black-haired boy with glasses came over. "This kid is THAT kid. Let's help him get some fun out of the way, huh?"

"Oh." Eli nodded, smiling. "THAT kid."

"My name is KEITH, for your information." Keith huffed.

"Let's get over to the advanced simulator, okay? See what you can do."

"The ADVANCED simulator?!" Keith stared, his heartbeat speeding. "Who'll be the engineer? The communications officer?"

"Hey. Slow down." Matt soothed. "Eli is a communications officer, I'm a engineer. We're going to graduate next year. Let's see what you got, kid."

"Yeah! Maybe you'll skip a few years!"

"And castles fly." Keith grumbled.

"We'll see." Eli laughed, already leading the way to the simulator. Keith followed them, frowning at the back of their heads. What if he was chosen? What if this simple rebellious act ruined everything?

"No." He suddenly said, grinding his feet into the ground. "I'm not going."

"What?" Matt asked, turning around, surprise in his gaze.

"I mean, I like the idea of the advanced simulator, but…" Keith let his face sag. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not risking everything just for some dumb machine."

"Are you POSITIVE? This could be your one shot!" Eli gapped.

"I already told you two to leave me alone. Now I mean it." Keith snapped, matching away.

He felt the two boys' eyes burning into his scull, he could practically sense the way they stared at him, eyes wide in interest. Then he heard…clapping?


	7. Disease

"You're awfully quite back there." Shiro noted, adjusting the mirror at the front of the car to look at Keith better. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Keith responded, still staring out the window.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."Keith said again, the one word he had said on the entire trip back.

"Okay."

"Yeah…"

Another moment of silence. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah."

"Are you just saying 'yeah' for the joy of it?"

"No."

Shiro puffed a sigh of relief, pulling up next to the house. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning about ten, okay?"

"Okay." Keith agreed, climbing out of the car. "Um…thanks for getting me into the Garrison."

"No problem." Shiro smiled. "I'm sorry we had to test you like that."

"You did what you had to." Keith mumbled. "That's all I want."

Shiro watched him ascend the steps, walking grudgingly into the door. Shiro felt a moment of sadness, sighing. Keith had waved goodbye to him the last few times, but now he acted as if it had never happened.

Shiro backed the car out of the driveway, feeling angry with himself. They had tested Keith as a tiebreaker, since the vote to let him join the Garrison was half n' half, and he had passed. They had sent two cadets to test him, see if his discipline issue would get in the way. He had overcome temptation, and had been met with clapping instructors. They had presented paperwork for him to sign, a few papers for the foster care facility that he was apart of to look through, and a contract for his guardians to read. He would bring them back to the Garrison in the morning, and would be accepted into their ranks as a cadet. He would be assigned his own dorms, and…

Shiro closed his eyes, thinking. Poor Keith. It had been a hard test to overcome, and if he had failed…

Shiro picked up his phone, speed-dialed the Rachel Foster Care Foundation, pressing it to his ear.

"This is the RFCF, how may we help you?" The secretary said, her voice kind.

"Hello. This is Takashi Shirogane. May I please speak to Mason Pines?"

"Please hold." The woman on the other end said.

There was a few minutes of silence where Shiro pulled to the side, setting the car in park.

"Shiro?" Mason asked as their phones were connected.

"Yeah. Hi, Mason. Listen, Keith got accepted to the Galaxy Garrison."

"HE got into the Galaxy Garrison? Tell him congratulations." Mason whistled in approval.

"Actually, that's the reason I called." Shiro told him. "Keith needs you to fill out some paper work to complete his application, may we come over tomorrow to do it?"

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, of course. I can tell him 'congratulations' myself. Bring him over whenever you're ready."

"Thanks, Mason."

"Yeah, no problem." Mason assured him. "See you tomorrow."

Shiro hung up, slipping it into his pocket as he headed off. He pulled into the Garrison parking lot a half-hour later, grabbing his bag and draping it over his shoulder.

"Hey, Commander Shirogane!" A young voice called as Shiro shut his car door.

"Yeah?" Shiro asked, turning to look at the young cadet.

"Are you seriously letting that…that…KID join the Garrison?!"

Shiro recognized him as James, the top recommend boy of Peters Elementary school who seemed to have it out for Keith. "You mean Keith? Yes."

"But he stole your car, and he hot-wired a school bus a few months back!"

"I was not aware of the bus." Shiro responded evenly, already sick of the kid. "I think Keith is just a good kid. He simply does the wrong things for the right reasons."

"But he's like a monster and human hybrid or somethin'!"

"James." Shiro said patiently, facing him. "Why are you such a bully to Keith?"

"What?" James pondered, his face widening in surprise.

"You obviously don't like him. Is there a deeper reason to that?" Shiro inquired, blinking at James.

"Why do YOU like him?!" James snapped, scowling at him. "He's such a dork."

Shiro sighed, glancing down at James. "I'm sorry you feel that way." He frowned, heading away to the instructor's side of the building as James stared after him, dumbfounded.

Shiro was thankful when James was out of sight, sighing in relief. When kids hit their pre-teens, they became so one-minded that often times to took forever to get rid of them.

"Takashi, a word?" Samuel Holt asked, opening the door to his office.

"Yeah, sure." Shiro nodded, following him in. "I thought that you already went home."

"Not tonight." Sam sighed. "Mitch needs me to stay late."

"'Needs'?" Shiro chuckled. "Or 'wants'?"

"You got me." Sam smiled, but quickly went back to his serious side. "I'm afraid I didn't ask you here because of laughing matters. I wanted to talk about the Kerberos mission."

"Yeah? Has anything come up?"

"It's your disease." Sam frowned. "It's really the only hole in the entire operation. The exposure to the lack of a gravitation pull tends to weaken muscle joints. It's usually not that serious, but…" Sam gestured to the device on his wrist. "You currently have a decade left to live, but the mission will shorten that time by a landslide. You might…die while on the expedition."

Shiro froze, thinking of all the outcomes. Everyone was trained to be a pilot early on at the Garrison, so Sam could easily take over the controls if anything happened to him, so getting back to Earth would not be a problem, but taking care of his body if he did die…

"What part of the trip would I pass away at?" Shiro asked, tilting his head at Sam curiously.

"The last leg. When we're a week or two away from Earth." Sam informed him. "If you're lucky, you'll live until we get back. Then the doctors could help preserve you for another year, but…" Sam shook his head. "You have to tell the kid, Takashi."

"We have a few years until we need to go." Shiro pointed out. "I'll tell him when the mission draws closer."

"Takashi…" Sam warned.

"I'm positive you haven't told your children that there might be a possibility of the entire crew not coming back."

"I have a nine year-old at home, Takashi." Sam said flatly. "She's too young to know about that kind of stuff. Keith, however…he's approaching twelve. And if you go through with adopting him, you'll have to tell him."

"Yeah, I know, I know. Just…give me some time, okay?"

"Time is something you're running out of." Sam murmured. "Have a good night, Shiro."

"Yeah. You too." Shiro nodded, leaving the room. He didn't mind dying. Dying meant going to see the Lord. What he worried about was the people he would leave behind.


	8. Memories

"You hot-wired a bus." Shiro said as Keith climbed into the car behind him.

"Uh-huh." Keith mumbled, staring down at his hands.

"What was the thing you wanted to prove when you did it?" Shiro asked, glancing back at Keith.

"Don't wanna talk about it." Keith grumbled, slouching in his seat.

"The only way to move on is to discuss it. I don't want to be the pushy guy, but it seems like the best way to mend old wounds."

Keith was silent for a moment, and Shiro wondered if he had said the wrong thing.

"We were visiting the grave sight." Keith whispered, so quietly that he could hardly be heard over the roar of the engine. "To honor fallen veterans in World War IV. We went to the monastery that housed Dad's grave. I told them…I told the teachers that I wouldn't be able to handle going there. But they made me go anyway. I ended up standing in front of Dad's grave…and something inside just snapped." Keith closed his eyes, not wanting to continue. "I stole a bus, and got as far away from there as I could. I was just about to…to just…"

"Keith, are you okay?" Shiro asked, thankful that there was a red light so he could turn to look at the American kid.

"…I wasn't. Not then. I missed Dad so much that I was ready to end everything…I was driving straight for the empty building when the police arrived." Keith curled up, closing his eyes while he remembered. "That was the worst day of my life, but not because I got expelled for two weeks. Because I…I was…"

Shiro reached back, putting a hand on Keith's knee. "I'm sorry. No kid should have to go through that."

Keith blinked at Shiro, his eyes wet with tears. "I miss him so much…" he whimpered.

"I know." Shiro told him gently. "I miss my own father everyday."

Keith cracked a smile. "I can't decide if you're more of a father or brother."

"I think of myself as a-" A horn blast interrupted Shiro, and he started, realizing that the light was green. "Dang it." He hissed, starting forward again.

Keith smiled, finding Shiro's sudden change in attitude hilarious.

When he was younger, Keith's father often told him of a wish he had, a dream that seemed magical. Keith's father had always taken him out at nighttime, pointing at the stars, the moon shining down on their faces.

"Keith." His father would say, "you know how you've always wanted to be a pilot?"

"Yeah." Keith would respond, knowing full well what was coming.

"Keith. There's more up there then just stars." His father would continue, putting an arm around his son's small shoulders. "Your mother's up there. She's waiting for us to join her. And, one day, under God's loving eye, we'll all meet and be a family again."

"Is mom an angel?" Little, naïve Keith would ask, believing that his mother was something wonderful.

"Ha, ha. Well, she came from the sky, and she had the prettiest voice you could imagine. And, oh, I often asked the Lord if I was dreamin' when I looked at her heavenly face. So, Keith, what do you think?"

"I think she was an angle!" Keith would croon. "And she gave up her physical form so I could come into this world!"

Keith's father would laugh, squeezing his son tightly. Then, glancing up, he would murmur, "your mother really was something else."

And Keith would smile and lean into his father's arms…

"Keith. We're here." Shiro touched Keith's leg gently, and the boy jerked awake. When had he fallen asleep?

"Okay." Keith nodded, unbuckling himself. He gazed up at the all-too familiar building, frowning. He had been here so many times…each time more depressing then the last.

As they entered, the secretary waved to them, smiling kindly. "Hello! Dip-, uh, Mason will be with you in just a moment." She told them, ringing the man in question to inform him of his new guests.

Then she walked over to Keith, holding out a straw basket to him, filled with lollipops. "Have one while you wait!"

Keith glanced up at her, then grabbed a red one, unwrapping it so it looked like a superhero, the stick being the body, the wrapper still loosely hanging on like a cape, and the candy being the head.

Keith looked at it, almost longingly, before putting it in his mouth as he stared out over the waiting room. How he hated this place, with its seemingly looming walls that seemed to whisper 'Failure. Nobody wants an orphan boy like you.'

Keith shuddered, sinking lower into his seat.

"It's okay, Keith." Shiro said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "This time it's not you switching families or taking an adoption interview. Right now, it's going to be a happy occasion."

Keith blinked at Shiro, nodding. "Yeah. Um…thanks."

"No problem. I have some other business to attend to, here, so you may have to wait in here for a little bit after our meeting with Mason."

"Okay." Keith nodded, not really wanting to ask what the 'business' was.

A few minutes later, they were allowed into Mason's office, and he greeted them readily, smiling. "Hi, Keith. Congratulations on being accepted into the Galaxy Garrison."

"Thanks, Mr. Pines." Keith nodded, sitting down on one of the chairs opposite the director of the RFCF, Shiro sitting down beside him.

Keith and Shiro waited while he read through the papers, chewing on a pen while he did so. He signed each paper with the same pen, and Keith wondered if any of his slobber ever got on the paper or ruined the ink.

Mason finally pushed over his signatures, giving them a double thumbs-up. "There we go. Have a good time at the Garrison, study hard, work hard."

Keith nodded, glancing at Shiro curiously.

"Head on out, Keith." Shiro smiled. "I'll be out with you in a moment."

Keith left the room, walking down the hall slowly. Normally he would be heading towards Mrs. Pines, Mason's wife, car, waiting for her to take him to another family that would try to manage his 'demon attributes'. But now he was heading towards his future. A future that looked epic, yet secure.

And, by-dang-it, he was ready to face it.


	9. Arrival

Shiro pulled the car into park, glancing at Keith.

Keith looked very tired, he had even dozed off earlier when they had been about the enter the RFCF.

Keith was looking out the window at the large building before him, his eyes wide.

He climbed out of the car slowly, as if in a daze. Then, standing on the sidewalk, he froze.

Keith's entire body went rigid as he stared at the Galaxy Garrison, his heartbeat thumping in his chest.

Shiro pulled Keith's suitcase from the back of the lion, setting it down as he watched Keith.

"I…I never thought I'd actually be accepted into the Garrison." Keith admitted quietly. "It was an impossible dream…and now…" Keith turned to Shiro, his eyes glistening with tears. "This never would've happened without you. Thank you."

"It's my pleasure Keith." Shiro told him, leaning down so that he could look Keith in the eye. "You're a good kid. People just don't know it yet."

Keith nodded numbly, turning back around as he gazed at the building. "I can take it."

"Hmm?"

"I can carry my own suitcase." Keith repeated. "You don't have to hold it."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Keith said, staring at the suitcase. "I want to."

Shiro set it down, and Keith pulled it up beside him, frowning at the building.

"You're going to turn your papers into the front desk." Shiro informed him. "The person behind the desk will assign you a room, and we'll head there."

"Will I have to share a dorm?" Keith asked, tilting his head.

"No. When you're here for several years, you sometimes get roommate, but not when you're a new cadet. However, when you become an officer, you always have a roommate, unless if you have a house elsewhere, like Mitch and Sam. Of course, a few children like the comfort of sharing rooms early on, so they can request it."

"Okay." Keith nodded briefly, sinking into himself. "Good."

They had to wait in line behind a few other cadets who had applied late, including one with a consistent orange bandanna in his black hair. Shiro would know him later on as 'the one who barfs frequently', and Keith would recognize him as 'the scaredy-kid'.

Finally, when their turn came, the secretary took their papers, looked up Keith's name on the databank, then directed him to room A113.

Keith followed Shiro silently down the hall, laughing children, excited cadets, and stern commanders on all sides.

When they finally got to Keith's room, Shiro waved him in, smiling.

Keith pulled in his suitcase, saluting before Shiro closed the door.

So. Here he was. What to do, what to do?

Keith unloaded his things, packing his three pairs of clothes into a drawer inside his room. Then, glancing at his bed, he put the one personal thing he had on it, hiding it behind his pillow. It was a purple hippo stuffed-animal.

Keith stroked the hippo's ears, sighing wistfully. Keith's father had told him often how his mother had taken up sewing while she was pregnant with Keith, and had figured out how to make a pretty decent-looking hippo. Sturdy, too. It had survived eleven years, and wasn't falling apart yet.

Then again, all it really did was sit there.

Keith frowned down at it, sighing. "One day," he said gently. "I'll meet you, Mom. I'll go up to heaven, and we'll all be a family again."

Keith sighed, slipping off his bed. He might as well explore, or find a group of cadets to make 'friends' with. Not that he had any friends.

Shiro was nice, but…he didn't understand Keith all that much.

Keith opened up the door, walking along silently, navigating around the herds of people crowding the halls.

"Hey." Somebody put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned. He thought for a brief instant that he was looking at James, before he realized that, no, there was a height difference between James and…whoever this kid was, besides, they had different haircuts.

"Yeah. What's up?"

The kid looked him up and down curiously. "We're supposed to wear our outfits whenever we're in the halls."

"Yeah, well, I don't have an outfit yet." Keith snorted, turning his back on the kid.

"Why are you so mad at ME, mullet?" The kid snorted.

"Was that an insult to my HAIR?!" Keith responded, whirling around to glare at the kid.

"Yeah, it was!" The kid flashed back.

"This is why I hate people." Keith thundered, stalking away from the kid.

"Dude, ATTITUDE." The kid called after him, but Keith ignored him.

So much for making friends.


	10. Racing

Summer was pretty uneventful. Keith got his Garrison costume, and participated in a few tours so that he could learn to navigate about the building. He was assigned an engineer and communications officer named Jeff and Ginger.

Shiro was busy preparing for the new school year. After all, he was an overseer in many of the simulators, understanding what appealed to the children and making nearly everything exciting.

Despite his busy schedule, at least once a week he was able to escort Keith out, though it was mostly so Keith would know he wasn't alone in the large world. They hardly ever talked heart-to-heart, and would often times drive out to the edge of the desert to gaze out over the landscape.

It was one of these times when Shiro had a bright idea, taking Keith to the Garrison's parking garage.

"Keith." Shiro told him, tossing him some safety goggles. "Put these on."

"What for?" Asked the boy as he strapped them on.

"Racing." Shiro told him, putting on his own goggles. "Oh, yeah, your goggles might need to be adjusted."

"Okay…" Keith frowned, managing to make them fit without Shiro's helping hand. "Racing what?"

Shiro pointed to the hover bike behind Keith, tossing him the keys. "Let's go, huh?"

"Isn't this Adam's?" Keith asked, swinging one leg over it as he started it up.

"Indeed it is." Shiro smiled. "He said you can borrow it, just as long as you don't steal it."

Keith chuckled lightly as Shiro swung himself onto his own bike, starting it up in a flourish.

"Let's go." He smiled, chucking a small pebble at a button on the wall. Upon impact, the doors to the hanger opened up, and both speeders rushed out into the sunlight.

Shiro easily sped ahead, giving Keith a confident smirk as he stayed in the lead, the younger boy rolling his eyes fondly.

They stayed like that for a while; Shiro in the lead, Keith in the rear.

Shiro spared him a glance, surprise flashing across his gaze as Keith suddenly sped up, passing him.

The boy turned the speeder onto its side, narrowly missed clipping it's thrusters on two rocks. The move slowed him down just slightly, and Shiro passed him once more, chuckling.

Keith snarled, still smiling, however.

Shiro jumped off the cliff he had been on onto a cliff parallel the first one. Keith followed in suit, suddenly slowing his speeder down immensely when he saw that another cliff was approaching, one that would go straight down. Shiro, however, let his speeder go down the cliff, pulling up with practiced ease and rocketing off. After another mile, Shiro glanced behind him, surprised when he found Keith missing. Slowing to a stop, he glancing behind him, expecting Keith to fly out of nowhere and catch him off guard. As it was, Keith didn't putter up to him for another half-hour, a happy, yet tired, smile pasted on his face. "Ha, ha. Okay, you win. I'll get you next time, old timer."

"I don't doubt it." Shiro agreed as Keith hoped off of the speeder to the ground next to him.

"How were you able to do that dive?" Keith inquired.

"It's all about timing." As Shiro explained, he could see Keith's smile drop. From lack of interest or because he was thinking, Shiro couldn't tell.

"Do you think I'm ready for that?" Keith inquired, raising his eyebrows.

"What do you think?" Shiro responded evenly, crossing his arms.

Keith thought for a moment, then slowly smiled. "I think I should be patient…and just focus on the basics."

"Ooh, somebody's learning." Shiro chuckled, turning his attention to the sunset. "You grew up out here, right?" Shiro asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yep." Keith nodded. Then, slightly more quietly, added, "just me and my Pop."

"He was a…fireman, right?" Shiro questioned, positive he knew what the response was going to be.

"He was a real hero." Keith murmured, slumping as his eyes drifted to the ground. "Everyone told him not to go into the building…but nobody could tell him anything."

"Sounds like someone I know." Shiro smiled, trying to make lightheartedness of the situation. Suddenly, his wrist device beeped, and he froze, glancing at it. He must have overtaxed his muscles.

"What's that?"

"Oh," Shiro quickly thought up an excuse. "It's just something to keep my muscles loose." It wasn't exactly a lie. He just bent the truth, which he knew wasn't good, but this was for Keith's own good. He swung into his speeder, avoiding looking Keith in the eye.

"Why? Is there something wrong with your muscles?" Keith asked, suddenly worried.

"No. It's just something that happens when you get to be an old timer." Shiro jokingly shrugged, starting up the speeder. He couldn't tell him now, not when Keith just talked about his own father dying. He would be heartbroken.

The look that Keith gave him, so full of sadness and doubt, just about crushed Shiro's soul.

Keith crossed over to the other bike, fishing the keys out of his pocket as he plugged them into the ignition lock. There was still a look of sorrow in his face when they started, and Shiro knew he suspected something.


	11. Preparation

Keith ran a comb through his hair, getting out all the knots, then hurriedly shook his head to make the hair spring back to his normal mullet. Slipping on his Garrison uniform, Keith began to get giddy, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Today, on the first day of school, all the individual students would be given different tests to find out what level class they were at, whether it be math, science, or piloting.

Keith took a deep breath, rushing over to the secretary's booth. She gave him a schedule, and he left the room feeling confident. He checked it, and, after seeing his first test didn't stage for another hour, decided to stroll the Garrison premises while he tried to sooth his frazzled nerves.

He found himself, as he often did, in the same room as the simulator, wanting to fly it like all of the world(except James)depended on it.

Shiro and Commander Boone bustled around, doing their best to get ready for everything before the first group of kids arrived.

"Hey, Keith." Shiro waved, his face tired. He obviously had been up since the early hours of the morning preparing for this moment.

"Hey, Shiro." Keith greeted him, looking into the simulator. "Wow. This looks exactly like the real thing."

"That's the advanced simulator." Shiro informed him. "You'll be taking the test with your crew in it. It's tough, even for us who have already graduated, to man your crew as well as a ship."

"Yipee." Keith grunted unhappily. "Great. Teamwork."

"Chin up, Keith. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"I want to do great." Keith huffed. "A team will slow me down."

"When you get a good team that you get along with," Shiro told him, looking down at the pad in his hand as he quickly typed something down, "you'll find that they don't slow you down, they actually help you get better, and become more cautious. You'll find out that when you put yourself at risk, you're putting everyone at risk."

"See? They'd be holding me back."

"Maybe. I have discovered that, for myself, a team helps me think my moves more seriously though. They also help with things you can't do yourself. For example, see that device over there?" Shiro pointed to a large metal-spool like thing that looked way to heavy got one man to carry, buttons and screens adorning the top.

"Yeah." Keith nodded, unsure where this was going.

"I had to get it from the storage closet to right there. I couldn't do it alone, so I had to have Boone help me. See? I had help, and then I could accomplish the task."

"I'm a team of one." Keith straightened his back proudly. "I get where you're going with all this, but I believe that anything that can be accomplished with several players can be done with one person."

"They say that there is no 'I' in teamwork."

"But there's an 'm' and an 'e', that's me."

"You can't have teamwork without individuals."

"On that, we can agree." Keith admitted. "But I still think anything two people can do, I can do better by myself."

"Keith, I would love to go more in depth into this conversation, but I have to finish up here." Shiro told him. "We can talk more on this later, if you want."

"Maybe." Keith grunted. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Um…" Shiro glanced around, one eyebrow raised. "I think I'm all good…if you ask Commander Boone, I'm sure he'll have something for you to do."

Keith nodded, rapidly hurrying over to Boone.

"Hey, Keith!" Boone waved, then, without even waiting for him to respond, pointed to a screen. "Can you help me move that to the front of those chairs?"

"Um. Yeah. I'm down for anything." Keith replied, taking hold of part of the screen as Boone room hold of the other.

Keith, in fact, supported most of the weight, and Boone eventually gave up in helping and let him take the entire TV, setting it on its stand with ease.

"Shiro, what in the fricking world do you feed this kid?!" Boone asked, standing akimbo.

"Hmm?" Shiro glanced over at Keith inquiringly. "Mostly McDonalds. Why?"

"He just muscled a hundred-pound television set by himself." Boone smiled, waving over to Keith. "I wouldn't have believed it, if I hadn't seen it for myself. The kid will bless the Garrison when he gets old."

"I believe it." Shiro grinned, returning to the data-pad.

Keith, feeling awkward at being the main topic in their conversation, crossed his arms slowly.

"By the way, Keith," Boone said, giving him a confident thumbs-up, "I vouched for you."

"Thanks." Keith was eager to get himself out of being the center of attention. He had been fine while he was being tested, 'cause it made sense. Now it just seemed weird. "Anything else I can do?"

"You could help me finish up with the chairs." Boone suggested, glancing at him.

"Okay. Hey. What's the TV for? Safety lesson or somethin'?"

"Not exactly." Boone chuckled. "It's actually for the advanced simulator. It records what happens inside the shuttle and projects it so the people outside can watch their struggle and tell what they did wrong. They learn from their mistakes. Also, the Garrison likes reviewing all the things they did. Especially Mitch. You'll have to do everything perfectly to earn HIS respect. Oh, um…we can send your video feed to the pad in your room. It's hanging-"

"Next to the door on the left. It also serves as the alarm in the morning."

"Yep! Little bit of advice on all the simulators, they're connected. The advanced simulator, gets feedback from the first, box simulator. It records what you did right and what you did wrong, then makes in even harder for you in the big deal. So…don't die."

"Got it." Keith thoughtfully excepted his suggestion. "I'll do that."

"Good plan." Boone returned, a gigantic smile on his face.

"Uh-huh." Keith agreed, frowning slightly as he helped Boone finish setting up the chairs.

'Oh, Lord above,' He prayed silently. 'Help me do the best I can in these tests!'


	12. Simulation

**Author's Note; Dorry about the long wait!**

 **Luckily, it was only this chapter giving me trouble, so updates should be more regular after this.**

* * *

Keith tightened his grip on the controls, taking a deep breath. "Alright. Team, you ready?"

"Yeah!" Ginger cheered, pumping a fist.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Jeff breathed.

Keith turned around to look at Commander Boone and Shiro, waving to them. "Start it up." He ordered, and they obeyed, closing the ramp behind him.

Keith watched as the indicator lights flashed on around him, and he took a deep breath. He was now being watched by everyone outside…nay, all the Garrison employees. This was his moment.

"Alright, look alive." He told them, switching on a few buttons. "We're now approaching Jupiter." A view of Jupiter popped up onto the cockpit glass, the storm spiraling on the surface below obvious. "Ginger, walk me through our mission."

"Ooh!" His communications officer clapped her hands as she read information off a chart. "It's a new one. Okay; a ship is caught in the storm below and we have to get it out, without breaking anything crucial on either ships."

"This'll be fun." Keith grunted, turning the ship into the storm without assessing the danger.

* * *

He completed the mission twenty minutes later at very most , and Keith was avid about his grade. He knew he had completed it in record time, and quite cleanly. Hardly anything had been broken on his ship; a chipped wing, low fuel that needed to be restocked but could regenerate on its own in time, and a broken satellite.

Still, it made Keith happy to see his scores on the screen.

"Commander, sir," James asked, pointing at the screen. "I'm pretty sure this is in need of repairs."

"Why's that?" Boone asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, thing's broken. Heck, KEITH could pilot it and do kinda-ish well."

Shiro shot the cadet a pointed look, shutting him down. "Good job, Keith. Ina, you and your crew are up." He gestured to a blond-haired girl, who obeyed him and led her group into the simulator.

Keith had to admit; he had been expecting a bit more praise for being so perfectly wonderful. He slumped slightly before regaining his posture.

His father used to tell him that, in life, when you rejoice, the world rejoices with you. When you mourn, you're alone.

Despite this, his father told him never to go through life with a fake smile, or else nobody could trust him.

So Keith stayed blank. He never smiled. He never frowned. He was stiff.

He reminded himself to stay this way, nobody deserved to see his emotions.

Keith watched the screen with little interest as the girl, Ina, weaved her way past asteroids and flying blindly into dust storms.

He had to admit. She was almost as good as he was. Almost.

"Wow." Mr. Barfs-A-Lot said from next to Keith. "She's pretty good."

Keith ignored him.

"I could never be that good." The boy continued.

Keith began to wonder if the boy was talking to him.

"I know, right?" Another boy chimed, and Keith relaxed, smiling gently. Good, he hadn't been talking to him.

Keith watched the screen a bit longer, frowning thoughtfully before turning his gaze to Commander Boone and Shiro.

He wondered what they were thinking…


	13. Rabies

**To my Guest Reviewer;**

 **Dear Guest, to your review on Introduction; I would normally handle this better… but ouch. I understand where you're coming from, but this is my ONE book that centers highly around Christianity. If you don't like it, don't read. But don't go around giving me hate.**

 **-Gravtron1**

* * *

Shiro reviewed Keith's grades, nodding half-heartedly to himself.

His roommates were also reviewing notes, being instructors. However, they weren't reviewing Keith's notes.

"I think Ina should be allowed to graduate to Cargo Pilot." Adam murmured, shuffling through a few papers.

"Hmm, she shows promise." Jammie nodded, his dark eyes boring into the sheet of paper. "How about Ryan K.?"

"He looks like he'd make a good candidate…how about Autumn?"

"No, she needs more practice in the simulator before we move her up to Cargo… what about Tristan?"

Shiro stood up, cradling his pad in hand. "I'm going to go check on Keith." He told them, but the two men hardly even glanced at him.

He realized that was a statement he made everyday, but he brushed it off.

Leaving the room, Shiro navigated the familiar halls to his young friend's dorm, pausing before knocking.

There was a scrambling noise, then; "Who is it?"

"Shiro."

"Oh, com'n in." Keith opened the door, cradling a tiny puppy in his arms.

Even seeing the dog sent shivers of bewilderment, but the fact that the dog was foaming at the mouth sent Shiro into hysterics.

"Keith!" Shiro gapped at his 'adopted brother', shock clutching at his chest.

Keith started, nearly dropping the puppy. "What?!"

"Careful!" Shiro warned, taking a deep breath. "It looks like that dog is rabid. How'd you get a dog into the Garrison? Argh! Anyway, if the dog bites you, you'll have to get a lot of medical service, and even that might not save you!"

Keith blinked at Shiro in disappointment. "Shiro, I don't get rabies."

"Have you gotten shots?" Shiro asked, blinking. Usually kids got their rabies shot sometime around their fifteenth birthday.

"Well…no." Keith sighed, cradling the puppy closer. "But my mutation makes me immune. Believe me, I've been bit by a rabid coyote before."

"Keith. That still doesn't make it okay. Also, only service animals are allowed in here."

"Yeah, but…I like him." Keith looked down at the mammal in his arms. "If the Garrison find him, they'll put him down. I…I can't let that happen."

"Keith." Shiro reached out a hand to grab the do by the scruff. "We can't have a rabid animal going around the Garrison, you know that."

Keith took a step back, his eyes flashing yellow. Shiro jumped, staring at him in shock.

"NO. I'm not giving up on him." He hissed, grip tightening around the pup. "If I can't keep him here, at least help me find some place that will keep him."

"Okay, fine." Shiro huffed, shaking his head. "But doesn't mean I like it. But keep that…thing away from me. Not all of us are immune."

"Why?" Keith looked smug, the yellow light dying from his eyes. "Haven't you had your shots?"

"My grandfather was against vaccines." Shiro grunted, narrowing his eyes.

"Ooh…sorry.'" Keith blinked, putting his hand in front of the puppy's muzzle.

Shiro tried to ignore the fact that the pup was gnawing at Keith's hand like it was a treat, beady eyes flashing venomously.

"Alright, Keith, where were you planning on keeping the dog?"

Keith looked down at the dog, frowning slightly. "I'm naming him 'Brosh'."

"That's not what I asked."

"I know. Brosh is just a good name."

"No, it's not." Shiro responded, frowning.

"How 'bout…'Yorak'?"

"Brosh it is."

"Duh." Keith grinned, rolling his eyes. "Don't worry, Shiro. I know the perfect place to keep him."


	14. Veronica

Keith wrapped the pup in his jacket, pulling on his Garrison uniform on top of his grey t-shirt and black pants.

Shiro still didn't know where Keith was going to put Brosh, but it would be an understatement to say he was worried.

Keith had it out for a few of the cadets - Cadet Griffen especially - and Shiro half-feared Keith planned to stuff Brosh in their dorms. But, of course, he probably wouldn't far do that in front of Shiro, who was a rules-man through and through.

Keith held the coat-wrapped dog under one arm, trying to restrain Brosh from wiggling.

"Keith, we need to move quickly." Shiro told him, glancing at Keith. "They'll be calling lights out in half a hour."

"Only half an hour?" Keith blinked, walking hastily for the door. "Quiznak."

Shiro hardly managed to stop himself from laughing. "Where'd that come from."

"Dad got it from Mom. Never asked what it meant." Keith shrugged, turning the door handle and stepping out.

"Huh. Weird." Shiro followed in suit, the two doing their best to act normal, but it was probably ruined by the looks they exchanged whenever Brosh whined or struggled more frantically.

They were almost out of the dormitory halls when a young lady with short, brown hair and rectangular glasses stopped them, clad in an orange cadet uniform with two yellow stripes. "Where are you two going so late?"

Shiro was sweating madly, a fake smile plastered to his face.

Keith, meanwhile, had a blank look on his face, a scowl hardly gracing his lips.

"Veronica." Shiro grinned at her, nervously turning to Keith. "Keith, this is Veronica McClain. She'll be graduating next year."

"Nice to meet you." Keith murmured, nodding to her. Oh, gosh, she was hot.

"Veronica, this is Keith Kogane. He just began this year."

"This is the kid you're tutoring, right?" Veronica asks, crossing her arms.

"That's right." Shiro nodded, beginning to relax more.

Why didn't Shiro tell him that he was friends with such a hot girl? Oh, golly, was he blushing? He didn't know. This was strange; he thought that maybe this was a crush - after only half a minute, weird, right? - but he couldn't be sure.

"Well, then, it's nice to meet you, Keith. Shiro's mentioned you a lot."

Keith was holding his coat behind his back now, sensing in some corner of his mind that it was wiggling frantically now.

Veronica was really hot.

"We need to get going, Veronica." Shiro urged. Twenty-five minutes to closing time, now.

"Where ARE you going?" Veronica asked, a suspicious look beginning to cross her gaze.

"It's unimportant, Veronica." Shiro took a step forward, frowning. "But we really have to get goi-"

A yip pierced the air, silencing him.

All three froze, the males looking at the wiggling bundle behind Keith.

"What was that?" Veronica said slowly, blinking as if she had just been imagining it.

Keith began to take a step backward, but Veronica was quicker, leaning over him and snatching the bundle from his hands.

Keith cursed his height inaudibly, wishing he could have his growth spirt already.

Veronica pulled the bundle open, jumping slightly in surprise when she saw the dog. "Wha-?!"

"Veronica, don't let it touch you!" Shiro warned, straightening from his shocked position. "Give it back to Keith."

"One, it's a 'he' not an 'it'." Keith grumbled, expecting the dog back immediately, he held out his arms, waiting for Veronica to give it back. "Two, he has a name."

"A dumb name." Shiro responded. "Veronica, it's rabid, and Keith is immune."

Veronica immediately wrapped Brosh back up, staring. "What is wrong with you two? Sneaking a dog into the Garrison, indeed!"

"Veronica." Keith hissed, withdrawing his knife his thoughts on her looks gone. "Give Brosh back."

"Keith, how much stuff do you sneak in here?!"

Keith didn't respond, still glaring at Veronica.

"Listen, kid." Veronica narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips. "Put the knife away and I'll give him back. But, seriously, how did you get a dog I here?"

Keith put away his knife and cradled Brosh and his coat in his arms, holding him close. "Doesn't matter. Now, what're you going to do, McClain? Report us?"

"It's my job. But…I might forget if I tag along."

Keith and Shiro exchanged a worried look, frowning.

"Fine." Keith turned back, narrowing his eyes. "But you can't tell anyone about ANYTHING you see."

"You can count on me." Veronica saluted.

"I'm coming, too." The three started, whipping around.

Matt, who Keith had hardly seen since the 'test' was beaming at them, a bright smile on his face.

"Quiznak, at this rate the entire Garrison will be coming along." Keith growled. "Who else is in this hall?"

"Eh, don't worry about it. Nobody else is here. Besides, you'll need my help." Matt grinned, giving the three of them a cheeky thumbs-up. "My sister and I taught ourselves how to hack into security footages; I can edit them so it looks like we never left."

The trio exchanged a look, frowning deeply.

"I could already do that." Veronica mumbled, glaring.

"Not as well as me." Matt teased. "Besides, my smarts may not be the only thing that comes in handy."

"Alright." Shiro decided. "But nobody else can come."

"Really? I was thinking about inviting Commander Boone…"

"Yeah, no." Keith grunted. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

 **Why? Because I like Veronica and Matt. It's now a ship, says I. XD**

 **Naw, I ship Matt and Olia.**


	15. Tetrad

"Alright, I can Hotwire one of the Garrison jeeps and take us all wherever your hiding place for the puppy is." Veronica announced, walking into the Garrison garage. "And, with the access codes, should be able to open up all the gates leading outside."

"I feel like I should be worried that you have so much information." Shiro frowned, looking at her incredulously.

"Well, I don't actually have the access codes. That's where you come in." She pointed at Shiro, a mischievous look in her eye.

"…or I could hack them open…" Matt offered, grinning like a total geek. (Like he was.)

"No, no, we'll use the access codes. You just focus on…uh…changing the security codes."

Matt frowned slightly, looking at Shiro with a twinkle in his eye. "You know…I can't do it with a Garrison pad. And I couldn't help noticing that you're carrying one along with you…"

"Alright, but you'll have to return it after you're done." Shiro handed Matt the tablet, frowning. "I still don't like the idea of you two tagging along."

"I'd tell Dad if you didn't allow me to." Matt retorted, adjusting his glasses.

"You'd tell him anyway." Veronica grumbled, struggling to start up the car.

Matt shrugged simply, sighing. "Correction; I tell my sister. She tells my Dad."

"Can we just get going?" Keith grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I just want to get this over with."

"Just a minute, I'm not done hot wiring this. Shiro, don't you have a…"

"-master key that controls all the vehicles?"

"Yes! That!"

"That's a myth some cadets made several years back."

"Dang it."

Keith reached over and messed with the controls for a moment, and the car rumbled to life.

"Wow." Veronica blinked, beaming at Keith. "I have a feeling you'll be leading late night adventures for a while now." She leaned over and ruffled his hair, starting up the engines on the rover.

"Shotgun!" Matt called over his shoulder, running over to the passenger seat.

Veronica stuck out her leg, stopping him from sitting down on the seat beside her. "Nope. This is reserved for your senior officer, cadet." She smirked, jerking a thumb at Shiro.

"Aw, com'n, just because he went on a date with out last year doesn't mean-"

"Yes, it does. Now climb on back, kid."

"You're my same age!"

"Uh, no. I'm two days older."

Matt grumbled at her response, climbing into the back seat with Keith, who was stroking the rabid puppy like an evil overlord, probably without meaning too. (The kid was strange.)

"Veronica's older then you?"

"Yep. By, like she said, two days. July 8th, 2318, and I'm July 10th, 2318."

"Wait, Veronica went on a date with you, Shiro?" Keith asked, leaning across the back of the seat to blink at the older man.

"Um…" Shiro blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "…yes?"

"Three dates, actually." Veronica corrected. "Apparently I put the chopsticks in the rice with them pointing straight up, or something. It's like, spiritual in Japan or something?"

"Disrespect to the cook. I think. I haven't been in Japan for a really long time." Shiro frowned, thoughtful. "Also, you ate the sushi with a fork."

"See, kid? That's why we broke up, cultural differences."

"I would have been fine if we went to an American restaurant! You're the one who insisted on going to a Japan food place!"

"How 'bout some prep, next time? A little 'Hey, don't put her chopsticks in your rice' or a 'don't eat with a fork' woulda been nice. I don't see why how I eat food in my own country makes me bad girlfriend material."

"I thought you knew! You weren't the smartest in your class for nothing!"

"Can we just go, already?" Matt called, kicking Veronica's seat.

"Dude." Veronica turned around, sticking out her tongue. "Your kid sister kicks better then you."

"Hey!"

"Veronica, if we don't leave this instant, I'm going to drive myself." Keith barked, glaring.

"Fine, kid." Veronica sighed, turning back around and taking off. "Hey, Matt, when were you going to open the gates?"


	16. Road Trip

"No way." Veronica turned around, frowning at Keith.

"What?! I mean, it's a simple place, it's perfect for a dog." Keith protested. "Besides, it's my childhood house."

"Let's see, nearly impossible to reach location, large house, and did you just say there was a carpet? That wouldn't work." Veronica shook her head, her wavy hair swirling about her head.

"Where else would I put him?!"

"I know the perfect spot. Remember that urban area out in the desert?" Veronica asked, eyes on the road.

"Plaht City?" Shiro inquired, curious. "Yeah…"

"There's a nice shack not to far from there. Two stories, two rooms, though you can only enter the upstairs by way of the outside."

"Nice car port, too."

"Really?" Keith asked, leaning forward.

"Yep. It looks like it was made during World War IV, because it's in a rather peaceful area that was uninhabited during the war. It's at most a hundred years old, because it's still standing."

"Mmm…are you sure he'll be fine?"

"Dude, I have extra privileges."

"She does." Matt grumbled.

"Yep." Shiro agreed.

"Hey, just because I'm trying to make my own scientific research to prove that weapons can fit into everyday things, for example, a machine gun in a suitcase, doesn't mean I'm the enemy. Sure, I skip classes because they think I'm working on proving it, but I don't always overuse by freedom. Right now I'm helping out a friend. Keith, I can literally be driving out hear everyday, and nobody would suspect a thing. I also can get you out of a few of the boring classes and bring you along."

"Veronica…" Shiro warned.

"You seem like the fast paced kind of kid. I can teach you at your speed, fast but interesting. Trust me, if you let me drive you hear everyday, I can teach you a lot better then those 'blah teachers'."

"Veronica, don't abuse your freedom." Shiro huffed, gesturing to Keith. "We have programs with more fast-paced interesting teachers. If Keith needs that learning curve, we can give it to him, but you can't just bust him out like that!"

"Ah," Matt mumbled in Keith's ear, "when sweethearts quarrel…"

"We're not sweethearts!" Both of the older group yelled, pivoting so fast Keith could have blinked and missed it.

"Guys, road!" Keith called as the jeep began to go off the main road.

Veronica yelped and turned back, swerving back into their lane. The car behind them honked their horn, furious and probably a bit confused.

"Alright, Matt, you are here-by banished to silence." Veronica announced, keeping her eyes cautiously on the street.

Keith snickered in victory, grinning.

Shiro and Matt both snapped a photo.

"Hey!" Keith snarled, his good mood vanishing. "Delete those at once!"

Shiro turned in his seat too quickly, holding his iPhone out of reach. However, Keith had advantage on his side against Matt since they were sitting beside each other.

Keith snatched the phone from Matt's hands, easily getting into photos and deleting the photo. He even, while holding Matt back with his foot, deleted it from the 'trash' bin just to make sure it was gone forever.

"Here you go." He grunted, handing it back to Matt, who was rubbing his cheek.

"Shiro, your kid, has, like, super-human strength or something!" Matt complained, turning to the senior officer.

"Yep." Shiro didn't turn around, trying to find a way to save the picture to a place where Keith could never find it. "I know."

Keith unbuckled, standing up for a split second to rip it from Shiro's hands and to permanently deleting the photo and then handing it back.

"Really?" Shiro sounded deadly sarcastic, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey, I have a right to delete photos of myself." Keith shrugged.

"Did you manage to save it to a safe spot before he deleted it?" Matt asked, leaning forward.

"Maybe." Shiro grinned, putting his phone in his pocket. "I also logged out."

"Dude." Keith grumbled, sinking into his chair.

"Yep."

"That was mean."

"I know."

"Alright, boys, shut up." Veronica sneered, glancing at them in victory. "We're almost to Plaht city, and after that it's only an hour walk to my…safe house."

"What? But we need to be in the Garrison base in five minutes." Shiro blinked, pushing himself to his feet in surprise.

"That isn't going to happen either way." Veronica grinned. "Sorry, Rules-Boy."

"I'm not a-!"

Keith smirked, and Matt burst into giggles, shaking his head.

"She got you good, Rules-Boy." Matt teased, prodding Shiro's arm.

"Maaaaatt." Shiro complained, shaking his head.

Keith grinned, sneaking the phone out while he was distracted.

"You know, Shiro, your password to everything shouldn't be 'Password'." Keith said, logging into Shiro's Instagram account.

"What? How'd you-? Hey-! That's not-!" Shiro whipped around, reaching out his hand, but Keith had already deleted the picture of himself.

"Keith winnza!" Keith grinned, hardly noticing when Matt pulled the phone from his fingers and gave it back to Shiro.

"Not quite. He also texted me the picture." Veronica grinned, holding up her phone and showing Keith the photo.

"How, even-?!" Keith grumbled, reaching out.

"Nope." Veronica chuckled, hiding the phone on the side of her Keith couldn't see, much less reach.

Keith pouted, settling back in his hair. He hated these guys.


	17. Robot Arms are Rad

**So…in case some of you dudes and dudettes don't know this, but my older brother has an account on here. Codylabs is his name. He writes a lot of Gravity Falls. We both love Wendt.**

 **And I love Gravity Falls. I especially think Wendy is awesome. No, I KNOW Wendy is awesome.**

 **I leeched a lot of inspiration from Wendy for Veronica.**

 **They're the same person in my eyes.**

 **Also, Veronica keeps trying to steal the spotlight. So…she might show up a bit more then I intended. I hope you like her as much as I do, because we'll be getting a lot of her.**

* * *

"THIS is your safe house?" Keith sneered, blinking at the shack.

"You got a better area other then your easily-tracked child-hood house?" Veronica tossed back over her shoulder.

"Touché." Keith frowned, shifting deeper into his seat.

"That's another reason why we broke up; she's got too many good points." Shiro grumbled.

Keith glancing at his brother accusingly.

"Not my fault you couldn't handle them." Veronica sneered, opening up the door. "Got the dog, Keith?"

Keith produced the rabid dog, who immediately was so joyful of being released that he decided to bite the closest thing to him; Keith.

Keith blinked as the dog sank his jaws into his finger, but he ignored the pain and looked up at the horrified expressions of his comrades.

"What?"

"Keith…uh…doesn't that hurt?" Shiro asked, the expression on his face spelling out disturbed.

"Oh…good point. No biting, Brosh. No biting." Keith slapped the dog's muzzle.

"Are you sure you're immune?" Veronica gapped.

"Is 9-1-1 an option?" Matt's finger was already trained over the call button, the three numbers already entered into his phone.

"Um, of course I'm immune. I'm pretty sure being bitten by a rabid coyote three times would have repercussions if I wasn't immune…"

"Dude." Matt glanced at Shiro, frowning. "Your brother is creepy."

Keith, literally, bristled, all the visible hair standing on end. "We're not brothers!"

"But I can see the family resemblance…" Matt frowned, forming a frame around them. "You both have black hair, and…uh…"

"Dorky personalities." Veronica finished.

"Yes! That!"

"I was talking about you and your sister."

Matt stood baffled for a minute. "Hey, wait a-!"

"Matt, there's a kennel out back, I think. It's red, mind getting it?" Veronica snapped her fingers, pointing towards the back wall of the house. "It's outside."

Matt scampered off.

Keith was pretty sure he, too, had a crush on Veronica. Actually, now that he thought about it, did all of them like her?!

"Shiro, there's dog food upstairs." She pointed up. "Again, the entrance to the upper levels is outside."

"Question;" Shiro began, before pausing.

"What?"

"Why do you have all this dog stuff?"

"I may or may not help new students hide their pets until they find a decent hiding spot for them…"

"Didn't your older brother used to do that?"

"Mmhmm. It's a McClain family trade. We love animals."

"McClain?" Keith scoffed, glancing up. "I met a kid with that last name once. Of course, at the time, I didn't know that was his last name. He made fun of my hair."

"Oh, yeah. That's my bro, Lance. He has a thing against the 1980's. Now, shoo, Shiro."

Shiro shrugged, walking out simply.

"Why does your brother have a thing against the 1980's?" Keith scoffed, frowning.

"I have no idea. Between you and me, mullets are cool. Also, fingerless gloves. Fingerless gloves rule, man. If you ever find a pair, _wear them like your life depends on them_."

Keith perked up, grinning. "My Dad had fingerless gloves! I don't think they'd fit me, though. At best Shiro would be able to wear them."

"Dang it. Fingerless gloves rock."

"I know, right?" Keith agreed.

"But, dude, never wear fingerless gloves if you have no fingers. They won't stay put, and it'll look plain weird."

"What if I get a robot arm?"

"Still don't." Veronica chuckled. "What if the robot arm had rad powers, like it lights up with energy pulses? Preferably purple. I love purple. It'll melt the glove."

"I'm trying to imagine Shiro with the arm…" Keith squeezed his eyes shut, thinking hard.

Veronica joined in with him, smirking. "Mmmm…can't see it. I can, however, picture him with a floating metal arm…"

"I prefer the light-up arm."

"Have you ever had those light-up shoes as a kid? It reminds me of that, somehow."

"What if it made the light saber noise?"

"Dude, good call."

"Here's the kernel!" Matt plopped the kernel down in front of Keith, who pushed the puppy inside it.

"And here's the dog food." Shiro dropped the bag in front of him. "What's this about lightsabers?"

Keith and Veronica shared a look, grinning.

Keith poured the food into a bowl that Veronica had pushed him. Honestly, he had noticed how, despite being in a kernel, the others still kept a far distance from Brosh, eyeing him warily.

He finished dumping the food, pushing it to Brosh who ate it excitedly.

"Should I put more in there? I mean, who know when we'll visit again." Keith pointed out, glancing at the dog.

Matt mumbled something about how it'd be best if the dog died, and Shiro nudged him.

"I can come everyday." Veronica pointed out. "I'll need some of those heavy-duty gloves, but I'd do it. And remember that education I mentioned? I can bring you out here myself and claim that I'm 'teaching' you."

"Deal!" Keith agreed.

"Guys…" Shiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You can't stop us!" Veronica mocked, beaming, heading for the door.

"Well, this was fun." Matt stretched. "Up way too late past my bedtime… but we should do this again sometime."

"No-!" Shiro began, but was interrupted.

"Whatever." Keith shrugged, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess so." Veronica grinned, winking at Keith. "It was fun. And the little guy gets shotgun."


	18. Hangout

**Mostly just filler.**

* * *

After the first time, it became a past time. Not to sneak out, but to hang out.

Shiro was very hesitant to let Keith hang out with the band of…scoundrels, as he called them.

Matt, who was a very rebellious kid, especially considering his father's rules about bedtime, taught Keith a great deal about breaking the rules, though the younger boy didn't really need help.

Veronica encouraged him to skip class a lot, preferring instead to break him out.

Meanwhile, Shiro was the mature adult, who everyone disregarded.

So…yeaaaaah…

Veronica also got Keith addicted to Starbucks hot chocolate, while Matt encouraged him to eat as many cookies as he could, ever since they discovered that he could eat a lot without feeling any sort of discomfort or resentment towards the taste. Besides, his body digested the excess food faster then a normal immune system, immediately getting rid of the excess fat and transforming it into muscle.

If he hate only a little bit, it kept that tiny bit in cockle around his body and somehow collected nutrients and energy from little tidbits that seemed to never come in handy.

(In a nutshell, no matter what Keith ate, he could never become fat. He always stayed pretty skinny.)

Keith record for how many chocolate cookies he could eat was twenty-three, and then the employees stopped them. It wasn't heathy for school kids to eat so much, they said, as if it was any of their business what kids did.

It was during one of these outings that Veronica mentioned an important topic.

"Keith, I heard that you beat up a kid last Thursday." She said, putting down her hot chocolate cup.

Keith blinked at her, still balancing the cup in his left hand. "Yep."

"Uh…it spread through the GG hallways pretty quick."

"Yep."

"Dude. WHY?!"

"Hey, James had it coming." Keith put up his hands in surrender, shrugging. "He deserved it."

"Wait, James? As in, James Griffen?"

"That's the one."

"I don't even need to hear what he did. He definitely had it coming. He's always out there to cause trouble." Veronica smiled, nodding her head.

"You still should not have punched him." Shiro grumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "You were THIS close to being expelled." He held up his fingers, his pointer finger and middle finger half an inch apart.

"Yep." Keith stretched, looking a bit too smug for his own good.

"Are you seriously happy about that?!" Matt complained, taking a earbud, which had been implanted in his ear, out.

Keith deflated, shrugging a little. "I dunno. I mean…ugh, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I'm thankful that I finally punched James' face, on the other, I feel like I would be disappointing everyone if I don't last a year."

"Keith, you should never feel good about punching someone." Shiro scolded.

"Even if it's James?"

"…point taken."

"Hah! So even Rules-Boy doesn't like Fancy Hair!" Veronica whooped, a few fellow Starbucks customers looking over curiously.

"Stop bending my words." Shiro hissed, glancing at the people watching them a bit cautiously. "James just…isn't the best person, you know? He needs some disciplining. I'm not sure why Keith hit him, but I hope it takes me down a peg."

"Why did you hit him?" Matt asked suddenly, blinking while adjusting his glasses. The light reflecting off them turned them into glowing white disks for a moment become settling properly on his nose.

Keith gapped, mesmerized by the pretty lights.

Shiro and Veronica exchanged an uncomfortable look while Keith stated in bewilderment at Keith.

"Keith?" Shiro snapped his fingers in front of Keith's face, but the boy didn't respond.

"Guys…" Matt whined, shifting from side to side. "He's watching me…"

Sure enough, Keith's eyes followed his movements, seemingly intrigued.

"Here, let me try." Veronica shoved Shiro out of the way by planting her hand to his face and shoving him away. Snapping her fingers, she frowned at Keith. "Hey. Kid. KNIVES."

"Where?!" Keith suddenly snapped out of his daze, blinking expectantly at her.

"Victory!" Veronica whooped.

"That's why you're names's Victoria." Matt realized, smiling in understanding.

There was a pause, everyone blinked uncomfortably.

"Bro. My name's Veronica." Unsurprisingly, it was Veronica who broke the silence.

"Doh!" Matt grumbled, face palming. "Flirting. Attempts. Fail."

Another moment of silence.

"Do you always say every little thing aloud?" Keith asked, frowning in concern. "You're worse then Shiro."

"Ouch." Shiro grumbled.

"Aw, glitch. Did I seriously say that out loud?" Matt grumbled, burying his face in the table.

"Yeah, ya kinda did. But, honestly, you dorks are all failing to keep your crushes on me hidden." Veronica stretched, setting her feet on the table and leaning her chair back.

The employees were eyeing them warily.

"What?" All three of them collectively jumped, pointing at themselves.

"Yep. All of you. And those little comments just proved it."

"Why did we agree to let Veronica be in on the action?" Shiro wailed, covering his eyes.

"Beginning. To. Regret. Crush." Matt sighed, his voice automatic, almost like a robot.

"Alright, Matt's a freak. He's off the team." Veronica made a shooing motion, smirking. "G 'bye."

Matt blinked, surprised. "Excuse me?"

"Bye!" Veronica waved. "It's also your turn to pay the bill."

"Um…again, excuse me?" He looked at the other two for help, and Keith just shrugged.

Shiro, on the other hand, was a bit more helpful. 'She's joking.' He mouthed.

Another peak at the serious woman made his expression doubtful. 'I think.'

"Naw, I'm joking, Matt." Veronica stretched. "Seriously, though, you gotta learn to keep your mouth shut, like Keith hear."

"Hey!" Matt gasped, offended. "Keith doesn't seem that quiet to me."

"He talks more around us." Veronica shrugged.

"Oh." Matt nodded, thoughtful.

"Hold up. I just realized that Keith hasn't talked for a while." Veronica realized, turning back to Keith.

"You know," Keith said, gazing into the distance, "I find it kinda strange how you actually noticed my silence. I also find it strange that after saying knives you didn't mention anything else about said subject. I don't know about you, but I like knives."

"Hey, you still haven't answered MY question!" Matt frowned. "Why did you hit James?"

"He had it coming! But the real question is why DIDN'T I hit him?"

"Kid's got a point." Veronica mused.

"Yeah, yeah, makes sense." Matt agreed.

"I still don't like it." Shiro complained.

"If anything, we should band Shiro for being 'responsible'." Keith mocked, beaming.

There was a second of silence and then the other two were laughing while Shiro sat there, arms crossed and frowning.

Sure, Keith had never had friends before now, and they were way older then him, but for that he was thankful.

After all, everyone else his age was immature.


	19. Up in Flames

Two weeks later, the Garrison hosted a special break week, where all the cadets could go home and see their families, to take a breather from the hard, rugged, Garrison life.

Keith and Shiro, having no family to go to, decided to spend most of that time getting to know each other.

After all, Keith had pointed out, in the worst possible way, that they hardly knew each other. So Shiro resolved to change that.

They had been racing bikes when the inevitable danger arose. Shiro in the lead, as always.

Keith saw it before Shiro did, his heart clenching and collapsing into his stomach.

No, NO!

Keith sped his bike past Shiro, not wasting time to find the path that led off of the cliff. Instead, he rode straight off the face of the cliff, pulling up right before he missed the ground and speeding off.

"Ha." Shiro chuckled under his breath. "Keith got it right." He followed Keith closely off the cliff, smiling to himself. And then…he saw it, too.

Spiraling towards the sky, bending and curving. Smoke. Lots of it.

Keith and Shiro both turned their bikes onto the highest setting, racing for the house.

Keith parked his bike, not even bothering to pull out the keys, five-hundred yards from the fire breaking into a run.

Shiro was right behind him, easing his own bike further from the flames.

The thing that was on fire was Keith's childhood house. Luckily not Veronica's safe house, but still bad. All of Keith's things that weren't aloud in the Garrison were in there.

Keith stared up at it with horror, fingers curling as he stared at it. The tree right outside his house was already in ashes, the shed very close to being completely demolished. The bottom of the house was on fire, but even now Shiro could see flames beginning to alight the second story.

"Keith," Shiro sighed, pity for the young boy washing over him. "I'm sorry- Keith?!" Shiro jumped, realizing the absence beside him. "Keith?!"

When he saw the boy, relief overtook him. But not for long.

Keith was hosing himself down, drenching himself with water from the hose next to the house.

"Keith, what are you doing?" Shiro shouted, taking a few steps towards Keith.

"Stay there!" Was all he explanation Keith gave.

Shiro watched, stunned, as Keith dashed into the house. When he recovered from his initial shock five seconds later, panic seized him, and he dashed forward three steps, but a huge wall of flames engulfed the entrance. The heat was so intense, it forced Shiro to stumble back, falling onto his back on the rough ground.

"No, no!" Shiro wailed, dragging himself to his feet, sweat alright glistening on his forehead. "Keith! Keith, get out of there!"

Shiro didn't know if Keith heard, or responded, because he didn't hear the boy's familiar voice telling him it was all right, or answering at all.

"Keith!" Shiro shouted, watching the glass shatter from the heat, the house smoking and beginning to cave in.

Shiro wondered if he should call 911. He doubted it. The house was too far gone, and if Keith hadn't already come out, Shiro doubted he could. The roof was beginning to collapse.

After five more minutes of breathless silence, Shiro gave up. He took several steps back, gazing at the caved-in house, several boards peeling off of the house every minute.

Keith couldn't have survived that long. His fur would probably have made him get more easily warmed, instead of helping him.

Shiro took a step back, trembling as he gazed at the smoldering wreckage. Keith was…he was…

Suddenly, a window on the second story broke open, and Keith came out, barely managing to leap over the sill. He held something cradled in one arm, something black.

He collided with the ground HARD, his legs giving out upon impact, his body slumping to the ground. He groaned, letting off a slight twitch, then relaxed, his face buried in the dirt.

Shiro instantly snapped to attention, rushing the boy quickly, scooping him up.

Keith twitched in pain, but didn't do much else.

Shiro nearly gagged.

Keith's forehead was smeared with blood and sweat, his arm twisted at an odd angle. Shiro backed Keith away from the flames, using his own jacket to wipe away the blood, revealing a huge gash, which quickly filled with blood again.

Shiro swore. It was probably the first time he had sworn in his life, and it was definitely the last.

Keith stirred slightly, moaning before collapsing into unconsciousness again.

Shiro scooped him up, bridal style, Keith's head lolling back on his arm, as if his neck suddenly had no control over his head.

Shiro ran, climbing onto the nearest speeder; (Keith's speeder) and put Keith on his lap, wrapping his arms on either side of the boy as he piloted the speeder as quickly as possible to the Garrison.

"Please." Shiro prayed. "Please let Keith be okay, God. Please. Please. Please."

The wind whipped Keith's hair and the boy whimpered slightly, trembling slightly from the raw pain of it.

"Please." Shiro begged once more. "Please."

It seemed like an eternity until the Garrison appeared, it's tall towers coming into view.

Luckily for Shiro, the hanger doors were open so that he didn't have to stop and wait.

He cradled Keith close to his chest, realizing with a start that the boy still hadn't released whatever he had holding when he had jumped from the firey building. Shiro took it from Keith's arms, shoving it into his saddle bag.

He'd put it in Keith's room later.

He sped through the halls, dodging around the few cadets and officers who hadn't went home for the weekend.

"Walk!" He heard from Professor Mongomery's room when he sped past.

He arrived at the emergency room, the doors buzzing open agonizingly slowly.

When they opened completely, he charged in, hardly noticing the lack of patients and how bored the woman sitting at the front desk looked.

She sat up the minute he came charging through, staring at him in shock. "Oh my."

"Please." Shiro pleaded, holding Keith closely. "My friend got hurt."

"His arm alone looks awful." The woman gapped, staring at him. "Did he get hurt anywhere else?"

"Here." Shiro brushed aside Keith's hair, which covered the wound.

"Paging Dr. Rizavi." The woman pressed her finger against the intercom, pursing her lips. "…yeah, we got a lieutenant here. He's got a kid with a broken arm and a…um…huge gash on his head. …Room 6-18? Got it…" she eased her hand off of the com buttons, pulling off her headphones.

She rolled a stretcher out of a corner and pointed to one of the chairs.

"Put the kid on this and then sit down." She instructed, and Shiro wisely didn't argue, watching as she rolled his friend away.

* * *

 **Obviously I have no idea how a hospital works.**


	20. Phone Call

"WHAT?!" Veronica's voice, despite being transported from the other end of the phone and was probably quieter here then wherever she was, echoed around the room and left a dull ringing in Shiro's ear.

He winced, rubbing his ear and switching which side of the head he held it at.

He had just given her the news, and she was outraged, probably shaking with anger.

"Shhh, Veronica." He chided, glancing around the room.

He was currently in Keith's room, busy taking the black thing Keith had saved and putting it on the bed.

"Sorry, sorry." Veronica grumbled…though she didn't sound sorry. "But, seriously, what?! What happened?!"

"Keith got into some fire trouble. But the hospital staff is taking care of him now." Shiro told her, trying to sooth her. Despite his efforts, she was still yelling.

Another reason why they broke up.

"Alright, that's it." Veronica hissed, her footsteps sounding. She was obviously matching in anger. "I'm booking an early flight."

"That's really not-"

"Mom, I've got to-" Veronica's voice cut off as she hung up, busy making the arrangements.

She was stubborn like that.

Shiro sighed at the thought, dialing Matt's number.

It went to voicemail, so he tried again.

That time, Matt instantly picked up. "'S'up." He said, his voice showing a lack of disinterest. Before Shiro could speak, he forged on. "Look, can this wait? My sister and I are busy plaiting Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons."

"That's an actual thing?" Shiro blinked, forgetting himself.

"It's fake…some fans made it several years ago, and-"

"Yeah, never mind." Shiro shook his head, ignoring Matt's sound of pain from the other side of the line. He opened his mouth to speak when a tiny, female voice sounded through the wire.

"Maaaaatt. You'd say you'd play with me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know Pidgeon, but my friend," he said the last word accusingly, "won't hang up and let me."

"Tell him you can talk later!" The girl persisted, begging.

"How about you tell him to go away?" Matt sounded amused.

"Wait, Matt-!" Shiro protested.

"Go away!" The girl yelled, but it was ruined by her for of giggles, followed by the click of the phone as they hung up.

Shiro waited for five seconds then called again.

The phone rang for a bit, and then there was a click and Matt responded. "WHAT. I locked myself in the bathroom, but it's only a matter of time before Katie unlocks it. So hurry up."

"Keithgothurtandhe'sinthehospitalward." Shiro spoke in a rushed mess, not wanting to waste anytime.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that, but slower? Something about Keith and a hospital? Did he punch James again?"

"No, it's more serious, he-"

There was another click and the sound of a door flying open.

"I've got you!" Matt's sister's crooned in victory, laughing.

"Oh no! You got me!" Matt giggled, probably tussling with her.

"Matt, it's Keith who's in the hospital." Shiro said blankly, wondering if it was possible for Matt to have a two way conversation with him and his sister.

"Wait, what?" Matt perked up, holding the phone closer. (Well, probably.)

"Keith's in the hospital. He got injured pretty badly."

"Matt?" The girl whined.

"Not now, Katie." Matt shushed. "Do you want me to come over?"

Shiro didn't mention that he really needed to comfort. "That'd be great, Matt. But only if you can manage it. I understand if you need to hang out with your family."

"The only snag is that my parents need me to babysit Katie tonight." Matt hissed, his voice unsure. "Um… give me a moment."

He murmured something quietly to his sister, who responded with a loud "YEAH!"

"Alright, Katie's going to come along, Shiro." Matt said, returning to the phone. "She likes playing in the lab and if I can get someone to watch her while she's in there I can stay with you for a few hours."

"Are you sure? Your parents might not approve…"

"What they don't know can't hurt 'em. Com'n, Katie. The sooner you get ready the sooner we can be there."

"Okay!" Katie laughed, the sound of feet retreating following her.

"Alright, Shiro, I'll be there in an hour, half that time at very least."

Ah, yes. Shiro forgot how far a drive Matt's house was. "Take your time."

"Remember to feed Gunther!" Matt called, probably to Katie. To Shiro, he added, "Our dog. He's been around since before Katie was born. Anyway, bye! See you later."

With that, Matt hung up.

* * *

 **Again, mostly filler, but I had to introduce Pidge!**


	21. Babysitter

**Again, filler.**

* * *

It was about twenty-three minutes later when Matt called again.

"Alright, Shiro," he began without even a hello, "You know that new nerdy Icelandic girl, Ina?"

"Yeah." Shiro confirmed, lowering his voice as he looked at the secretary, who had returned as soon as she had delivered Keith to the med bay without a word of comfort for the worried lieutenant. "What about her? And, wait, are you talking while driving?"

"Yeah. But I'm not holding my Phone…Katie's holding it up to my ear."

"My arm is tired." Katie piped up.

"Just a moment more, Kate." Matt assured her. "Back to Ina, do you know if she left to be with her family this week?"

"No. She did not." Shiro informed him, curious. Where was this going?

"Okay, good. Would you mind contacting her? I need to see if she's available to watch Katie in the lab."

"I don't need a babysitter!" The girl responded, miffed.

"I know, Katie. But this is so you have a fellow geek to mess around with." Matt huffed. "Would you mind asking her? Thanks, Shiro!" He said, not waiting for a response. The phone hung up right after.

Shiro blinked at nothing. Well. That happened. He looked at the secretary, who had returned after wheeling Keith off. She didn't say anything, just began filing paperwork.

"If they're any updates considering Keith, will you tell me?" He pleaded, staring at the woman hopefully.

"Where'll you be?" The woman asked, glancing up at him.

"Around the first-year cadet's dorms…or the lab."

"I'll send Dr. Rizavi's daughter if anything happens with the kid." The secretary waved him off, looking considerably bored.

"Thank you!" Shiro beamed, then scampered off. He always felt better when he had his hands busy.

His first stop was his own dorm, flinging it open. Jamie, who was leaving later in that day to see his family himself, started, looking up in surprise. "What?! You look like you're being chased by a pack of wild tigers!"

"Yeah, yeah." Shiro shook his head, sighing. "Your girlfriend is the woman who mans where everyone's rooms are, right?"

"Uh-huh. Wait, are you going to sneak a possum into a girl's dorm again?"

"Stop bringing that up! I was fourteen. Fourteen!" Shiro flashed all ten of his fingers then closed all of them but four. "Besides, I don't have a girl I like anymore."

"What about that Victoria girl?"

"Veronica. And we broke up a year ago. But that's besides the point! Can you call up your girlfriend and ask her to find someone named Ina Leifsdottir's dorm?"

"Ina is a girl's name!" Jamie squealed, pulling up his phone to call his girl.

"She's, like, eleven."

Jamie blinked slowly. "You have weird crushes."

"I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON ANYONE!" Shiro tossed up his hands in exasperation, glaring. "I need her to babysit for a friend of mine."

"You have friends other then me and Adam?" Jamie stared, surprised.

"'Adam and I.' And yes, I do. Where do you think I go off to so much?"

Jamie thought for a moment. "I dunno." He called his girlfriend to end the conversation.

Shiro listened to the couple's banter for a while once she picked up, then finally sighed. "Jamie. Ina?"

"Oh, right…no, not you babe." Jamie nodded, grinning at the phone as he filed in the request.

After several agonizing moments of waiting, she responded. "Room A613." Jamie recited to Shiro, before beginning to talk to his girl again.

Shiro didn't even have it in him to be annoyed, once again running out from the room. He hardly remembered to close the door behind him, making sure that it closed fully.

He recited the code in his mind, searching up and down the student dorm hallways until he found it. Knocking briskly oh the door, he waited.

After an agonizing long time, the door opened revealing a pale face with goth black hair. Shiro knew this wasn't Ina, but he recognized her as Thaila Zuesdottir, a fellow Icelandic girl who had requested her dorm shared with Ina.

She was clad in black pants and a dark grey shirt with the orange Metroid insignia on it.

Shiro decided instantly that she and Keith would either be best friends or each other's arch enemy. If they ever met. If. Keith might…might still die.

"I'm looking for Cadet Ina." Shiro told Thalia, faking a smile, though his mind was on Keith.

"Ina." Thalia stood aside, gesturing to Shiro. "It's for you."

Shiro took a step inside the room at Thalia's welcoming jerk of her hand.

Ina glanced up, eyebrow raised. She was seated on her bed, papers and devices. She waved a single hand in a salute. "Sir."

"At ease, cadet." Shiro smirked. "Ina, I need your help."

"What for?" Ina perked up, blinking.

"Listen, a friend of mine says you're good with computers. And kids."

Ina nodded. "I am quiet fond of children as wells as machines."

"Alright. Ina, a friend of mine is in the hospital, his fate is still uncertain. Do you know who Matt Holt is?"

"Of course!" Ina sniffed indigently. "Smartest cadet in the Garrison, three years running."

"Well, he has a little sister, and we need her out of our hair for a while. She's interested in tech, can you show her the ropes?"

Ina was instantly on her feet, saluting. "Yes sir! I would be glad to!"

Shiro nodded back gratefully. Now, all that was left to do was wait for Keith's results.


	22. Waiting

…in case this isn't already known to some of you, Nadia Rizavi (you know, the MFE pilot?) was pressured by her parents to become a doctor. This enlightens me to the headcannon that…both her parents are doctors. I'm probably wrong. As always. Don't ask me for advice.

Three hours later, Veronica arrived, still in her normal clothes, cadet uniform forgotten.

Matt had already brought his sister over, let her try (and actually succeed) in doing his math homework while she messed with the computers, and brought her home so that their parents wouldn't suspect a thing.

Then, Matt told them about needing to be there for his hospitalized friend, and his parents gave him immediate leave to come back.

Now the three friends were sitting together, in absolute silence. The only thing that gave away their knowledge of each other's presence was how tightly they were gripping each other's hands, their white skin color becoming quiet pale.

They fidgeted uneasily, staring at the ground.

It seemed like an eternity before a doctor came from the operation room, smiling.

"It wasn't too bad." She told the waiting three, relief in her face. "It took a bit to stabilize him enough to reset his arm, and he reacted a bit oddly to some of our equipment, but he'll be waking up soon. You can come see him if you like."

Shiro stood up to follow her, his two friends following in suite. "What about his head wound?"

"That's what took us so long. It already had signs of infection by the time you brought him back, and it wasn't clearing up with our medicine. But we managed to clean it up, as well as stitch it." She glanced at him, arching an eyebrow. "Are you his older brother?"

Why did everyone keep asking that? "Not lawfully. But we're close enough to be brothers." Shiro truthfully answered.

"And you two?" The doctor asked, looking at Veronica and Matt.

"We're friends with him." Matt responded, half-smiling.

"No family?" The doctor frowned, pursing her lips.

"He's an orphan, and his father didn't have any close family besides his son before he died." Shiro explained, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"And his mother?"

Shiro shrugged. "Missing since he was an infant."

"Does he have an emergency contact? Any lawful guardian?"

"I…suppose I'm both." Shiro realized, blinking in surprise.

"There's a lot of paper work to sign, and a lot of money to pay." The doctor - Rizavi clarified her name tag - frowned uncertainly, shaking her head.

Shiro and Veronica exchange a look over Matt's short head. Shiro, as a lieutenant, was paid some money, most of it going to taxes and food, and not a lot leftover. Veronica had two part-time jobs at a shooting range and at a fast food place that she claimed sold awful food, so none of the boys tasted them. The work shifts were long and far between, and she was scarcely paid, but it was enough. She also got her own grant from personal research, but she had already spent most of that. All in all, she still had more money then Shiro and Matt convinced. In Matt's financial case…Shiro actually wasn't sure about Matt. He was pretty sure Matt didn't have any money accept for twelve dollar-allowance every month and the hundred bucks he kept on him just for 'emergencies'.

Shiro wondered if this counted as an emergency.

"I'll have the costs covered." Veronica assured Rizavi before Shiro could say a word. With a silent glance at the boys, she added "ALL the costs."

Shiro frowned at her curiously, pondering her statement. She couldn't have that much money, could she?

Rizavi looked from a determined Veronica to a confused Shiro to a mellow Matt, and back again.

"Alright. Well, we have paperwork for both of you to sign, so. If you would like, you can do it in his-" "-Keith-" Shiro informed her, realizing she probably had no idea what his name was.

She nodded with obvious relief, smiling. "You can sign the paper work in Keith's recovery room." She pushed open the door to said room, gesturing in. Then she disappeared to get the paperwork.

Keith was more still then Shiro had ever seen him. His pale face was even paler, taking on an almost sickly picture. His hair had been brushed out of the way of his forehead to make room for the bandage wrapped around the entire length of his head. Still, he looked peaceful, the furrow between his brows that was usually there - even with his friends - gone.

His right arm was the only thing that didn't look serene about him, wrapped tightly in a white bandage. And resting across his chest.

"He looks so peaceful." Veronica noted.

"Despite the broken arm." Matt deadpanned, snapping a photo.

Veronica and Shiro, both the little jerks they were, copied his example.

There was a window seat/couch/thing as well as two chairs in the room, which were quickly divided among the three worried companions.

Veronica - who apparently had always wanted to have a window seat - got the window seat, and Shiro took the chair closest to Keith while Matt sat somewhere in the middle, biting the inside of his lip.

Rizavi came back a moment later, giving them the paper work.

As they filled it out, Matt began to explain to the two (supposed) multi-taskers how to play five crowns, which was one of his favorite child hood games.

Shiro found that it was too much to fill out paperwork and listen, so decided to listen. However, once Matt began dealing, Shito went back to the task of filling out his name, not paying attention to the boy laying on the bed next to him.

Later, Shiro couldn't decide if it hadn't mattered in the grand scheme of things or if it was a bad decision.

The curiously was because when Keith woke up, Shiro didn't even notice.


	23. Stirring

Keith's eyes cracked open, the flashy glare of lights hitting him smack in the middle of the face.

He squeezed his eyes shut once more, the familiar frown creeping back onto his face.

Wait…he NEVER left his light on when he went to bed. Why in the holy crow would the lights be on?

Fighting his sleepiness, Keith forced his eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

"And…with that five of spades, I can lay down!" Veronica's voice pushed into his consciousness, making him blink even more in surprise.

"Dang it!" Matt cursed softly, drawing Keith'd attention. He forced himself to turn his head, finding the three of them concentrated on a bunch of cards spread out between the three of them.

Shiro was hastening through his cards, trying to figure out which was the best way to organize them and which one to discard.

Keith caught a glimpse of a familiar yellow star and knew instantly that they were playing five crowns - a family favorite between him and his dad.

He looked over Shiro's shoulder best he could with laying down, mentally calculating how the cards should be out together.

"Group those two kings and that wild together." Keith croaked out, unsure how else to make his grand appearance. (Why the crow was his voice so croaky?!)

"Thanks, Keith." Shiro said absently, obeying his youngest friend. Veronica and Matt also seemed to be oblivious.

Half a second later all three of them jumped up as one, letting out noises of shock, seeming to realize that Keith was awake.

Everyone was crowding his vision, and they were too noisy…

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath.

"Keith?"

"Are you okay?"

"Does anyone else notice that his skin's as pale as the walls?"

"Shut up, Matt."

"Keith, can you hear me?"

"Keith, buddy?"

Keith huffed, forcing himself to peel his eyes open. "Next time tell me when you play Five Crowns."

There was a sigh of relief from all of them collectively, and Veronica and Shiro - being the good substitute parents they were - hefted him up into their arms and hugged him.

Matt, being the good substitute older brother he was, completely ruined it by wiggling in between the two pairs of intertwined arms to hug Keith.

Huh. Keith smiled to himself, closing his eyes. This was what family was like.

It was…nice.

So, while in their embrace, he enjoyed it while he could.


End file.
